Waiting for Midnight
by Misch13vous
Summary: Callie Ficarro has lived in Beacon Hills all her life with her best friends Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski. She always thought the town was normal until Scott becomes a werewolf. Its up to Callie to help Scott deal with his new power and keep it a secret from everyone else. Life gets more difficult once the mysterious Derek Hale appears. Derek Hale/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN~: Hello! This is my first time writing something like this so sorry if its rough. Feel free to leave a review!****Its greatly appreciated. **

**The next couple chapters should be out soon. Hope you enjoy the story!**

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Callie tossed her bag across her room. A sigh escaped her lips as she plopped onto her bed and lay on her stomach.  
Maroon tinted hair fell over her eyes. Callie stared at her exhausted face in the vanity mirror.  
"I'm so not ready to go to school tomorrow."  
She rolled onto her back letting her head hang off the edge of the bed. Callie grabbed her phone off her pillow to check the messages.  
Nothing new.  
Just as her lids began to close a thump sounded from outside her window.  
Callie bolted up and watched as the window began to open itself. A dark silhouette appeared causing Callie to react in the only way she could.  
A shoe went flying from her closet hitting the figure square in the chest.  
A familiar voice cried out in pain and Stiles tumbled into Callie's lighted room.

"What the hell! Can't you use the door like a normal person?" she snapped.

"What was that Stiles? Only social misfits like us can use the window." another voice joked.

Callie's other best friend, Scott, came into sight as he stepped over Stiles.

"How the did you throw a freaking shoe at me?" Stiles choked out rubbing his chest.

Callie rolled her eyes and laughed, helping the boy up.

"Psychic here, remember? I can move stuff, have visions, read minds."

Stiles slapped his forehead and gave Callie a look. Scott put his hands in his pockets and began to tap his foot.  
Taking note of this, Callie realized that her friends weren't just there for a night time chat.

"Ok. Who's going to tell me what new adventure we're going on now?" Her eyes shifted from either boy. Stiles eyes flashed with mischief.

"There's half a dead body in the woods and guess who's going to go find it?"

"Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang?" Callie joked shrugging her shoulders.

Stiles grabbed her elbow and led her over to the window. Scott had already jumped down and was heading to Stiles's Jeep.  
Stiles placed his hand on her back and gently pushed her towards the window.  
Callie looked back at him and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You do know that it's the first day of school tomorrow right?" she warned.

"Aw c'mon Callie! Live a little! Plus its your senior year, gotta make it memorable."

The drive to the forest was quick and now the long trek to find the body was beginning.  
Callie rubbed her arms to get warm, the cold night air taking her by surprise. She was happy most of her attire was black making it  
easier for her to be less noticeable if they needed to flee the scene. Most of the adventures she went on with Scott and Stiles ended that way.  
Callie followed her two best friends through the trees listening to them quietly talk about lacrosse or something.  
Everything was eerily silent except for the crunch of leaves beneath their footsteps or the occasional snap of a twig.  
Callie looked up at the bright moon and blew a cloud of smoke of her breath at it.  
_So much for starting the year off well rested. _She thought to herself.

Scott staggered over to a nearby tree and leaned on it for support. Callie went over to him, knowing he was probably having trouble breathing,  
and rubbed his back.

"Maybe we should let the severe asthmatic hold the flashlight?" he wheezed.

Stiles turned around, excitement for the quest they were on evident in his green eyes.

"Yeah, where are we going Stiles? Do you know what half of the body we're even looking for?" Callie added.

"Oh. Good question. Should've thought of that part sooner." Stiles shrugged.

"Wow, great. we're gonna wander around in this forest for hours." Callie groaned.

"Not if we get going now." Stiles replied pulling Scott with him.

Callie let out a long breath and ran a hand through her long hair. She was just following along to look after them anyways.  
Being older than Scott and Stiles put her in a big sister type of role. She cared for them as if they were her family and she always knew  
they needed her to get them out of trouble.

"Dude its really cold." Callie shivered as she put on her hood.

"Stop being such a girl." Scott teased.

"Excuse me Mr. Macho." She sneered back.

"Guys shut up. I can't concentrate with you fighting like a married couple."

Stiles shined the flashlight in their faces and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Stiles you had ADHD. You can't concentrate on anything."

"Except Lydia." Scott laughed.

Stiles shoved Scott for the remark and threw his hands up. Callie laughed at Stiles's embarrassment and began to walk ahead of them.  
She closed her eyes and tried to open her mind. Maybe her psychic abilities would somehow show a sign of where to go and speed up this adventure.  
A hand roughly pulled her back by the shoulder and she whipped her head around. Stiles was looking intently at the forest in front of them.  
Lights shined in the distance and dogs barking grew louder.

"Crap! It's my dad. We gotta get out of here." Stiles yelped.

Scott took off running in the direction they came from and Callie was at his heels. Stiles hesitated for a second.  
But that second was too much as his dad appeared next to him.  
Callie could hear Sheriff Stilinski's voice from the small rock formation she was hiding behind.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing out here?"

"Uh nothing Dad. Heh Heh."

"Do you always listen in on my phone calls?"

"Not the boring ones."

"Where are you partners in crime? Scott! Callie! You there?"

"It's just me Dad. Scott wanted to rest up for the first day back and Callie was having girl problems."

Callie rolled her eyes at Stile's statement. She was gonna get him for that later.

"You get back in the Jeep and go home Stiles."

"Yes sir."

"And there goes my ride home." Callie whispered.

After a while the officers footsteps and conversations grew quieter and Callie took this as her signal to move.  
She snuck away into the denser trees and then began to sprint. The darkness didn't help her in trying to figure out her location  
or even what direction to head. Every turn she made looked like the last one. Callie could feel the pit of fear growing in her stomach.

_Ugh why cant psychic abilities come with some sort of mental GPS or compass?_

Running desperately for a few more minutes she came to a clearing. A large house lay in front of her, damaged by fire and long abandoned.  
Callie stopped and put her hands on her knees in attempt to catch her breath. Callie's skin began to tingle, a sign that someone close was watching her. She stared into the house wondering if anyone was inside. Opening her mind, Callie searched for any type of energy but nothing stood out to her. Without thinking much she walked up to the steps of the porch. The old house was silent and empty.  
She stood for a while, her hand on the wooden support. A sudden creaking noise snapped her into reality.  
They had been searching for half of a dead body. That meant there was a killer on the loose in the forest.  
An old abandoned house would be the perfect hide out. Callie backed away from the house cautiously.  
Giving it one last glance she continued to run home. Callie could still feel eyes on her but smothered the feeling away.

Callie had never been so happy to see her house. Closing the door as quietly as possible, she crept up the stairs past her parents room.  
They would be more furious with her waking them up than her coming in at odd hours of the night. Her parents didn't seem to care about her at all. Never asked her how she was or how her day at school went or anything about her interests. It was like she wasn't their daughter but a really young room mate. Finally in her room, Callie kicked off her Doc Martens and tore off her jeans.  
A shower would definitely be needed in the morning but right now she needed to text Scott and Stiles.

"I'm safe at home. The killer didn't get me!"

Her phone beeped and the screen lit up.

"You're barely back now?!" read the text from Stiles.

Callie scoffed and scrolled down to see if Scott had texted back. No reply yet. Maybe he was asleep already.  
Callie agreed with the idea of being asleep and she got into a comfortable position.  
Her mind couldn't stop thinking about the abandoned house she had come across. It was way too familiar.  
Just as she was drifting off to dreamland it occurred to her.

That was the Hale house. The whole Hale family had died in a tragic fire except for a boy, a girl, and a man.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN~: All right here is chapter 2! Hope you like this one. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this haha Just giving the Teen Wolf Series my own spin. **

**Thanks for reading!**

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All night Callie dreamed of the Hale house burning and of strange shadowy figures with claws.  
She woke up feeling exhausted and not in the best of moods.  
Remembering why she was so sore, Callie covered her face in a pillow.  
"Stiles you freakin' owe me big time." she growled.

The warm water from the shower helped with Callie's disposition greatly.  
She played with the condensation in the air before stepping out and drying off.  
Callie walked back into her room and threw on a pair of skinny jeans, a tank top, a flannel, and eyeliner.  
After putting on her high top Converse, Callie held out her arm as her bag lowered itself onto her shoulder.  
Callie smiled to herself. There were some benefits to being a psychic.

The school parking lot was already filling up as Callie entered the driveway.  
Just as she was about to turn into a space a little Porshe cut her off and stole it.  
Callie threw her hands up and let out a sound of disgust.  
"Goddammit Jackson! Glad to know you were taught manners!" she yelled out the window.  
Jackson flipped her off in the rearview mirror and his girlfriend, Lydia, gave her one of those self-righteous looks.  
Callie sighed and drove off to find another space. Luckily there was one next to Stiles.

"Did you see what that asshole did to me?!" she ranted to Stiles as they both got out of their cars.

"Lydia has a pretty dress on today. Green really suits her."

Callie slapped the back of Stiles head. Of course all he saw was the oh-so-lovely Lydia Martin.

"Hey! That was uncalled for." he whined.

"Stiles you have a girl right in front of you. Pay attention."

Stiles stuck his tongue out at her and rubbed a hand against his buzz cut.

"What happened to Scott last night? He never texted me back." Callie continued.

"Dunno, but I guess we're about to find out."

As if on cue, Scott came up to his friends. Callie hugged him and scruffed up his hair.

"So the killer didn't get you! Thanks for not texting me back."

"I got caught by something else though." Scott said pulling up his shirt to reveal a large bandage.

Callie's purple eyes grew large at the sight of it, a hand flying to her mouth.

"Let's see this thing." Stiles pulled a corner of the bandage off.

On Scott's side was clearly a bite wound. Each individual tooth mark visible.

"Holy shit Scott! You need to get that checked out." Callie warned.

"No. Its ok. I know what bit me. I think it was a wolf."

Stiles and Callie looked at each other and then at the bite. Both of them started laughing.

"Dude, there aren't wolves in California. I read somewhere there haven't been wolves for like 60 years."

Scott looked at his friends with a confused expression. Callie patted his head and put her arms around their shoulders.

"Come on guys. Off to first period. I'm not letting you two start off the year bad."

The day passed by slowly until Callie's free period. She had it the same time as Scott and Stiles so she met up with them in the halls.  
Callie was wiping off the paint still on her hands from her art class as she came up to them.  
Scott was asking Stiles about a new girl. He seemed really into her and Callie laughed. She'd never seen Scott like this.

"Do you know who she is?" Stiles asked Callie shaking her from her thoughts.

"Nope, not a clue. But it looks like Lydia does."

All three of them turned to see the strawberry blonde and her jerk of a boyfriend talking to a pretty girl.

"This girls only been here for a day and Lydia already has her in her clutches." Callie shook her head.

"It's 'cuz she's hot. Hot people stick together." Stiles said.

"Great logic there Stiles." Sarcasm dripped from Callie's voice.

"Her name is Allison." Scott mumbled.

"What?"

"Her name's Allison." he repeated.

"How do you know that? They're across the hall. Are you psychic too?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

"No, I... I just heard Lydia say her name right now."

"You heard her? Scott, I can't even hear them and I am the master of eavesdropping." Stiles shot.

"Well whatever guys. Look I lost my inhaler in the forest so we gotta go back for it after practice today." Scott quickly changed the subject.

"No! There's a killer out there. Just buy a new one Scott." Callie's voice grew louder.

"Oh come on Callie. You're not afraid of the woods now?" Stiles teased.

"Shut up. Fine. I'm only going to make sure Scott doesn't die from an asthma attack."

She looked at Scott. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Allison the whole time.

"All right lover boy, get your mind focused. Go to Econ and I'll see you two at practice."

Callie covered Scott's eyes with her hand and pushed him in the direction of his next class. Stiles waved at her and she smiled back.

She sighed and rummaged through her locker. Only Scott would lose an expensive inhaler in the middle of a forest.

Callie walked out onto the field once the last bell rang. A slight breeze was in the air making the trees sway.  
As she got closer to the bleachers she saw Stiles. They high-fived each other and Stiles jerked his head towards the top of the seats.  
Lydia was sitting there with Allison.

"So would you mind making me look good to Lydia?" he elbowed Callie.

"You know Stiles you have a better chance getting with Ashley - the one who still has braces."

Callie made her way up the stairs until she was a row in front the the two girls.  
Unfortunately Callie made eye contact with Lydia bringing on an unwanted conversation.

"Oh look who it is. Goth Girl."

"Hello to you too Lydia."

Lydia had taken to calling Callie, Goth Girl, ever since the eighth grade when her abilities really started to kick in and she started to get in touch with darker styles.

"You know wearing those colored contacts is bad for your eyes. Could make them irritated and sensitive."

"Lydia, I thought you knew. Purple is my actual eye color. Like Elizabeth Taylor, ever hear of her?"

Lydia just pouted and flipped her hair. Callie tried to keep her dislike for the girl from erupting out in her words.

"Your eyes are purple? That's amazing."

Callie looked at Allison. This was the first time they had ever spoken. Maybe she could help out Scott.

"Oh yeah. It's a rare genetic thing. I haven't seen you before you must be new. I'm Callie Ficarro."

"I'm Allison Argent. Nice to meet you."

Allison smiled and her eyes twinkled. Callie could definitely see why Scott liked her so much.  
A loud yell averted their attention to the field.

"All right McCall! That's how it's done! Keep it comin' guys McCall is on a roll!" Coach screamed at his team.  
The other players kept launching balls at Scott in the goal. Each one he expertly blocked.  
Callie stood in awe at his sudden talent. Sure Scott had been playing lacrosse for a while but he was never that good.  
There was a different air to him and Callie felt uneasy about it.

"Who is that?" Allison wondered aloud.

"That's Scott. He's my best friend. Great guy." Callie mumbled absentmindedly to her.

Callie shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she followed Stiles and Scott through the trees.  
Her thoughts whirled around the events of the night she ran through the forest and the strange changes in her friend.  
Stiles was going on about some theory on how the bite Scott got could have given him super powers.

"What like some infection or something?" Scott asked, frustration in his voice.

"Yeah why not? You said you can hear better, see better, smell better. You even play lacrosse better! I know you practiced all summer but there's no way you got that good."

"Stiles, you're making it seem like Scott is a werewolf or something." Callie joked.

"Exactly! You got bit by a wolf right Scott?" Stiles started to howl and claw at the air.

"Urgh! Stop you guys this is serious. Just focus on finding my inhaler."

"Ok, ok. Sorry Scott dont get your tail in a bunch." Callie teased.

She hopped over a couple rocks and skipped a little ahead of them.

"It should be somewhere around here. I know we're close." Scott grumbled.

Callie felt a presence and her mind went on alert. Someone was there.  
She looked back over her shoulder to see a man in a leather jacket glaring at them.  
Behind him was the Hale house. Callie's feet stopped in their tracks as the same feelings from the other night crept up her back.

"Guys. Guys!"

The man stomped closer to them, continuing to stare them down like they were prey.

"What are you doing here? This is private property!" he snarled.

"We were just looking for something... Forget it." Scott muttered.

In a flash, the man tossed Scott's inhaler at him.

"You found it. Now go away."

The man's piercing blue eyes met Callie's for a second. But in that second a urge to be near him filled her.  
She couldn't look away or move or even think. There was something about him that was drawing her in.  
The man's strong jaw set relaxed and his glare lessened to a soft gaze. He looked just a lost as she did for a moment.  
But just as quickly as he appeared, he left. Scott and Stiles began to walk off back to the edge of the forest.  
Not noticing that Callie went after the mysterious man.

"Hey! Hey, let me ask you something." Callie's heart pounded more and more.

The man turned around to face her and she nearly ran into his chest.

"Are you Derek Hale?"

His entire face changed from a scowl to a look of surprise.

"How do you know my name?" he demanded.

Callie was silent, not sure how to answer. Derek's blue eyes smoldered with mixed emotions.

"I... I don't really know. Something is just telling me that I know you. Or at least I'm supposed to know you. Sorry that doesn't make sense. It's complicated."

Callie couldn't tell if this was her abilities kicking in or something else. Usually to read someone's mind she had to purposely focus on them. She wasn't just given information about people.

Derek kept looking at her with an intense curiosity. Callie didn't know how long they stood there just waiting for the other to say something until Stiles gripped her hand and dragged her away.

"What are you doing! Do you know who that is?"

"Yeah he's Derek Hale."

"Wait. You know?"

"Don't ask me how but I do."

"Well whatever he's bad news so stay away from him."

Callie nodded but in her heart she knew she couldn't do that.

Over the next few days Callie couldn't get Derek Hale out of her mind. He was in her thoughts and walked in her dreams.  
She didn't understand why he would leave such an impact on her. She hadn't known him very well.  
Could really only put a face to the name. Why did he make her feel so many emotions. Why did he make her feel at all?  
Scott was acting weird which also bothered Callie. He was more aggressive and harsh. His temper seemed to wear thinner and thinner.  
Callie wasn't the only one worried though. Lately Stiles had her looking up weird information on werewolves.

"I thought we were just joking about Scott being a werewolf?"

"I was. But it never hurts to do some investigating."

"Stiles you seriously don't believe Scott is a werewolf right?"

"I dunno ok! Just humor me and look up some of the causes for a werewolf to transform."

"You mean shift. Werewolves are more like shape-shifters not transformers."

"See you already know more than me! Now get on it!"

The art room was Callie's only escape. Well at school at least. There also was the dance studio in town where she worked.  
But in art class Callie could do whatever she wanted. Doodle, sculpt, paint, sketch, or nothing at all.  
Mr. Finch, the art teacher, liked her that much.  
Luckily today was one of those do whatever days. So Callie sat in front of the wide windows and twirled her maroon hair in her fingers.  
The fall leaves twisted in the wind and created little cyclones across the sidewalk. It was calming. Good for her chaotic mind.  
She didn't want to think about Scott's weird late onset of puberty or of Stile's conviction of Scott being a werewolf, or of Derek Hale especially.  
Callie sighed and brushed her hair back. There she went again, thinking about Derek.  
She let her eyes wander the classroom and randomly decided to pick up on the quiet kid's thoughts. They were always the most entertaining.  
She tilted her eyes down to make sure no one would be able to see them glowing.

_Who is that guy in the parking lot. Looks like a tool. Eh probably another drug dealer. Bet its steroids..._

Callie's head jolted up. An image of Derek just zipped through the student's mind.  
She looked out the window again. A strange panic coursing through her.  
Derek Hale was standing by a tree. Icy blue eyes locked on her's.  
Callie didn't know what to do but as if she wasn't in control of herself she asked to go to the restroom and left the class room.  
Her feet took her to a gate on the edge of the school by one of the parking lots. Callie knew Derek was just around the corner.  
As she got closer, he came out. Callie was holding her breath up until she was face to face with him. Only the gate kept them apart.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Derek was quiet. Just looking over her soft face, light eyes, flowing hair.

"I don't know."

He was lying. Callie could have sworn she heard his thoughts and they said "To see you."

"That's not true. Don't lie to a psychic."

Callie clapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that. She had been keeping that a secret from everyone but her best friends.  
Why did she feel comfortable enough to let Derek, a total stranger, know.

"That makes a lot of sense. Now I know why you knew my name." he whispered.

"Is that all you came here for?"

"I guess..."

Callie was confused. She didn't find it weird at all that Derek would come to school to see her. She didn't find it weird that she was talking to him to intimately. She didn't find it weird at all that he was stroking her hair through the iron gate.

"Be careful. Things are going to get a dangerous on the full moon."

With that Derek looked deeply into her eyes and left.  
Callie blinked in disbelief. What just happened? She held onto the bars of the gate. The wind twisted through her hair, tickling her cheeks.  
Callie bit her lip, the way she always did when she was dealing with strong thoughts and emotions. The bell rang for classes to change and  
a flood of students took over her quiet moment.

Once again Callie found herself walking onto the field to watch the lacrosse team practice. Stiles asked her specifically to pay attention to Scott.  
She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important Stiles wasn't telling her. But everything seemed normal.  
Well as normal as things could be since the first night in the woods. Callie sat on the bottom bleacher and set down her bag.  
Stiles walked over to her, his eyes darting frantically. Callie gave him a puzzled expression and he rubbed his hand over his buzzed hair.

"Dude, morgue report came back. Guess what they found on the body?"

"Stiles just spit it out. You look like you're about to jump out of your skin!"

"Wolf hairs."

"Wait. There really was a wolf in the woods then? Then that really does mean Scott got bit."

"And that he's a werewolf..."

Callie felt like the air in her lungs had been knocked out. She slowly turned her head to stare at Scott as he weaved in and out of his team mates.  
A new speed and agility came over him as he jumped over a player trying to block him from making the goal.

"Stiles. The full moon is Friday. And if all that research you made me do taught me anything its that werewolves shift with the full moon."

"Scott going to the party biggest party of the year with Allison! What if he kills people?!"

"We have to stop him. Make him cancel or something!"

Stiles shook his head and put his hands behind his neck. A look of worry covered his face. Callie put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.  
Both of them watched the rest of Scott's scrimmage, each wondering how does one go about telling a werewolf that he can't go out with  
the girl of his dreams and is a ticking time bomb just waiting to kill people.

Friday rolled around and anxiety ate away at Callie's insides. Scott had seemed ok at school but when she tried to talk to him about his "condition"  
he brushed her off saying how Stiles was saying the same thing. He was going to go out with Allison no matter what.

"Why are you trying to ruin the only good thing that's happened to me? I'm going out with a pretty girl that actually likes me back.  
I don't care about this werewolf stuff! I was bit and nothing is different. Let me live a semi-freaking-normal life!" he snapped at her.

"Scott don't be like that. Just listen! We're only trying to look out for you. Being a werewolf isn't going to be easy, especially with your first full moon.  
You're not going to be able to control yourself! Scott get back here! Scott!"

The boy stormed off down the hall as she called out to him. Callie groaned and punched her locker. Boys were so much work.  
They thought girls were touchy. Well try dealing with a teen wolf and see how much you like it.  
Stiles ran up to her a second later.

"What was that? Did you talk to him?"

"I tried to. He doesn't want to hear any of it. It probably doesn't help that tonight is the full moon!"

"I guess since we can't stop... Callie would like to go to possibly either the best or most horrifying party of the year with me?"

"Fine but only because you asked me politely."

Later that night, Stiles knocked on Callie's door to pick her up.

"Callie get the damn door! If it's for me say I don't have the money yet and to get the hell off my property!"

Callie winced at her dad's response. What kind of crap had he gotten himself into this time.  
Throwing on her jacket and flicking her finger towards the window to close it, she dashed down the stairs.  
Stiles was leaning in her door way and gave her a wink.

"Shall we go m'lady?"

"Bye Dad!" she shouted halfheartedly.

"Don't come back pregnant or I'll beat you to next week!"

Callie's demeanor dropped. She always gave her parents the benefit of a doubt to show that they loved her but it never ceased to fail.  
Stiles put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. Callie hopped into the Jeep and rolled down the window.

"Is Scott already there?"

"Yup which means we need to hurry."

Stiles drove quickly through the streets to Mary Velasco's house. Cars lined the sidewalks and the sound of partying teenagers buzzed in the night air.  
Callie waitied for a bit by the car. She hardly went to parties. It was either stay at home and draw or stay late at the dance studio because home didn't seem too good of an option. Heading to the front door, Callie pushed her way through dancing bodies and crowded rooms. The only thing in her mind was to find Scott. A wave of cool air washed over her as she found herself in the house's backyard. A now familiar tingle rose on her skin and she turned toward the gate leading out to the street. Derek stood there, staring at her with his blue eyes. Callie walked up to him and tilted her head.

"Aren't you a little old to be at high school parties?"

"There isn't an age limit to crashing parties."

"What are you doing here? You seem to be showing up a lot lately."

"Can't you just read my mind?"

Callie shook her head and laughed. "That takes a lot of effort and I happen to be very lazy."

Derek took her by the arm and led her to another corner of the yard.

"Dance with me."

"Uh why? I'm not much of a normal dancer. Ballet only."

"Ballet? Funny you don't look like a girly girl to me." Derek smirked.

"There's a lot you don't know about me so shut up."

Callie jumped slightly when Derek took her hands and put them on his neck and put his hands on her waist. Luckily for Callie he was scanning  
the area so intently that he didn't see her blush. They swayed with the music for a while and Callie couldn't take her eyes off him.  
Yes he was attractive. His jet black hair, rebellious scruff, stern expression, broad shoulders. Everything felt like it was carved out just for her.

"Where's Scott?" he said breaking the silence.

When he turned his head to look at her, Derek was surprised to see she was still looking at him. A certain curiosity and warmth was swimming in her  
eyes. He wasn't used to this kind of attention. But he liked that it was coming from her.  
Suddenly Callie pressed her face into his chest. Derek's heart sped up a little bit and his hands left their position for a moment.

"It's too crowded in here to look. Let me search it'll be easier." she mumbled against him.

Derek held her closer, using the chance to take her in. She was almost the perfect height, just tall enough to let him rest his chin on her head comfortably. Her dark hair was tinted maroon and it shown in the moonlight. The longer he rested his head on hers the more her scent intoxicated him.  
How could she possibly be making him feel this way. Happy, content just to have her around, mad that he didn't get to be with her all the time, and like he had a purpose. He wanted to be close to her. He wanted to protect her. But Derek never felt that way about anyone, except his family.

Breaking the embrace Callie pushed Derek off of her. Her eyes were dimming from the glow of her abilities. Derek hadn't noticed them before  
even though he was always staring at her eyes. She rubbed her temples for a bit and straightened up her hair.

"He's out front with Allison. Something's wrong though."

Derek grabbed Callie's hand in his and quickly went out to where she said Scott was. Stiles caught sight of them and chased after them, swimming against the current of bodies.

"Callie! Callie wait up!"

Stiles stumbled next to her and looked dumbfounded at Derek holding her hand. His mouth opened and closed like he was going to say something.  
Derek glared at him and then all three of them looked at Scott. He was holding his sides and pained expression written all over his face.  
Allison was trying to get near him but he kept his distance. Then all of the sudden he took off to his car and sped away.

"Oh no. Oh no! Callie he's shifting. I gotta go help him or at least keep him from killing someone. You stay here with Allison ok.  
Stall her or I dont know!"

Stiles ran off to his Jeep before Callie could even think about what he just said to her.

"Stiles wait! How am I gonna get home?"

Callie scuffed her foot against the ground in annoyance. Allison stood just near her with look of utter confusion and disappointment.

"Allison, hey it's Callie. Um sorry Scott took off on you. He's uh having some stomach issues. Real bad cramps and stuff. It happens to him a lot  
because he doesn't eat enough uh fiber. Too much junk food." Callie laughed nervously.

Callie concentrated on Allison's thoughts, hoping she would buy the excuse. Allison wasn't totally set on it but it would work for now.  
Derek came up to the two girls and put on one of his most charming smiles.

"Hi, I'm a friend of Scott's. He asked me to take you two home."

Allison nodded and Callie just stared at him. She could sense there was some other motive for taking them home.  
But she had used her abilities too much to search Derek's mind. His was more difficult than anyone else's.

The car ride home was quiet. Allison was dropped off first. She gave Callie her number and asked her to call her the next day.

"Sure thing. Good night." Callie smiled out the window.

Derek revved the engine and pulled out of the Argent's driveway. Neither of them said anything the rest of the way to Callie's house.  
Callie was too busy worrying about Scott and Stiles. Was shifting always that painful? Is that why werewolves seem so angry and vicious  
because of the pain?

A hand shook her shoulder and Callie realized they were outside her house. It took her a few seconds to move and unbuckle her seatbelt.  
Just as she opened the door, Derek grabbed her hand.

"What you said back at the party. I don't know anything about you. But... I'd like to."

They stared into each other's eyes. Callie lost herself in his emotions. He was feeling so many things; happiness, curiosity, nervousness.  
Callie swallowed and nodded.

"Alright. Come by the dance studio whenever. I work there and stay late a lot. Um thanks for the ride."

Derek rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb, savoring the last few moments he had with her.  
Callie got out of the car and walked up to her front door. The same tingle she always felt when Derek was around her crept up her spine.  
It hit her. The first night in the forest she felt the tingle. The first time she met Derek she had felt it again. The other time at school when Derek was at school looking for her the same tingle.

Derek was the one in the house. Derek was in the woods when the body was found. Derek could be the killer.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN~: I'm so glad you guys are interested in the story! Thank you for leaving reviews :) Sorry that its starting out kind of awkward.  
I wanted to have the first 5 chapters already written out so I could just publish them all but I couldn't resist posting the first one.  
Anyways here's chapter 3!**

* * *

Sleep wasn't an option that night. No matter how hard Callie tried she couldn't escape the visions of the forest and the immense urge to kill.  
It was like she was looking through someone else's eyes every time her's closed. She guessed she was connecting with Scott on a psychic level.  
This happened a few times before mostly sharing dreams with her best friends since they were so close.  
Callie was probably too worried to sleep anyways with Scott shifting and the realization she made about Derek.  
Derek seemed to be popping up everywhere she was and it was starting to make her think. If he was the killer, was she next on his list?  
But nothing he ever did to her would point to that. The way he looked at her was only enough to make her heart skip a beat.  
The way he held her so gently while they danced at the party. The way he said he wanted to learn more about her was genuine too.  
Callie smothered her face into her pillow. Everything was too confusing. Werewolf problems and boy problems were not a fun combination.

Somehow Callie managed to calm her mind enough to let her drift off into sleep. She woke up and the sun was shining straight through her window.  
Callie threw her arms across her face in attempt to hide from the brightness. Peeking over at the clock it read 11 AM.  
Just a couple more hours and she needed to be at the dance studio for work.  
Callie sat up and looked at her disheveled appearance in her vanity mirror. Her maroon hair was all over the place, some of it straight and some of it  
in crazy waves. Her purple eyes were not as bright as usual from a restless night. Callie made a funny face at herself and then concentrated on what  
to wear for the day. Her eyes began to illuminate as she moved clothes around her room without moving herself.  
Black tights, baggy gray tshirt, pale pink leotard, black legwarmers, and her Converses. Callie headed into her connected bathroom to get ready.

After a cold rinse to wake her up, she pulled her hair into a messy bun and put on her outfit. With the gray tshirt on top she thought she looked  
more eighties flash dance but whatever. It wasn't like she was an instructor. She was just an assistant who helped the little kids with their positions.  
Callie headed downstairs in search of some breakfast. The kitchen was a mess and there wasn't anything appetizing in the fridge.

"Looks like its a vending machine lunch for me." she sighed.

She put her hands on her hips, deciding which part of the kitchen to tackle first. Her parents never cleaned anything.  
They automatically put that on Callie would forget or would be too tired to do the chores.  
But when it came to that her mom would having a screaming match with her and that usually resulted with late night cleaning of the entire house for Callie. Scott's mom and Stiles's dad knew about her home situation and always made sure she knew their houses were open to her and that she didn't have to put up with the neglect and abuse. Callie's parents never hit her or starved her. They just barely talked to her.  
Callie knew that her friend's parents meant well but there was no reason to get child services help.  
She was going to be eighteen soon anyways.

Cleaning the kitchen took just enough time and now Callie was off to work. She grabbed her keys and jumped into her blue Nissan Versa.  
Autumn colored leaves twisted in the air around her as she navigated through the streets to the downtown area.  
Callie liked coming to work. Ballet was one of her passions. No one would be able to guess it from the way she dressed or the "Goth Girl"  
reputation from Lydia she had gotten. Callie didn't even dress goth. All she wore was tshirts and jeans, sure she wore dark colors but  
none of it was goth. Callie saw herself more as an alternative or punk rock kind of girl.

When Callie walked through the door to Ms. Antoinette's Ballet Studio she was greeted by a chorus of small voices. It looked like the kids came early for  
their lesson. Callie smiled and waved at them as she made her way to the staff room. She could hear one of the advanced classes going on in  
another part of the building. Callie set down her bag in her locker and took off she shirt and shoes. She slid on her pointe shoes and laced the straps up her calves. The door swung open and Sarah, her class instructor, came in.

"Oh good you're here. Seems like the kids came early today. They must really like you." the older woman joked.

"They're coming for you not me. I just help them with their feet you do all the fun stuff."

"I'd let you teach a class if you wanted."

"Oh no I'd be terrible at it. I'd wouldn't know how to get my words across." Callie laughed quietly.

"You put yourself down too much. Well we might as well start now since their all her." Sarah said and pulled her hair into a tight bun.

Callie followed her into one of the dance rooms in the front of the buildings. One wall was made entirely of mirrors and the opposite one was made entirely of windows. Callie liked to call this room the "advertising room" as any passerby could look in on the class since the window wall was next to the sidewalk. Sarah called in the little girls and boys and the class began. Callie stretched with the kids and went through all the motions with them  
as an example. A few times Sarah had the class split into groups, those who got it and those who needed a little more time, just to prove her point that Callie was a good teacher. Then the class finished up.

"I know you don't want to go home so soon. You can stay in here and do whatever. Don't worry about cleaning we have a crew for that."  
Sarah gave a small farewell hug to Callie as she left the room.

"Don't forget to lock up!" she called from the lobby.

Callie exhaled, letting the peacefulness of the empty room wash over her. Finally she could dance away those fears and worries that had been eating  
at her stomach. She walked over to the stereo and plugged in her iPod. Setting it to her special dance playlist, Callie sat on the floor and began her  
own stretching routine. The mixture of classical music and techno coursed through her body as she stretched to the beat.

"I'm not goth. Alternative definitely." Callie said to herself.

She stood up and went to the bar, going through the basics to get herself limbered up. As she was working on her plie positions the electric tingle shot up her spine. Callie stopped what she was doing and looked out into the parking lot. She found what she was searching for when her purple eyes met a pair of icy blue ones. Derek was leaning against his black Camaro. When they made eye contact his mouth gave way to a small smile and he lifted his hand in a greeting. Callie's heart sped up a bit. He actually came to see her, just like he said. Her mind went blank just focusing on the fact he was  
just outside the window. A second later she snapped back into reality and motioned for him to come in. Derek disappeared to the side and she poked  
her head out of the room's door way. Derek walked down the hallway to her.

"Hi." he said the small smile still on his face.

"Hi." was the only thing Callie could manage to squeak out.

Derek looked around the room and then shouldered his way in. He stood in the center for a minute and turned to Callie.

"So you really do dance ballet then."

"Uh yeah. I just finished helping with the last class."

"Is that why everyone is gone?"

Callie nodded her head and moved away from the door. "I stay late to work on stuff. I don't like staying at home too much."

"Why is that?" Derek had a looked of concern.

Callie's hear sped up more. He was worried for her and she hadn't said anything to obvious about her home life.

"I just don't like being cooped up there all day."

Derek mumbled something and then found a chair to sit on. He shrugged off his leather jacket and rested his elbows on his knees.

"So are you gonna dance or what?"

Callie was a bit surprised and then the nerves started to take over. She walked over to her iPod and changed the song to  
something she thought Derek might like.

"Don't laugh if it looks stupid. I made this one up."

Callie faced the mirror trying to ignore the fact that a very attractive Derek Hale was watching her intently. She shook out her arms and rolled her  
neck waiting for the intro to end. Then like it was second nature Callie began to dance to the beat of the song.

Derek couldn't take his eyes off her form. She effortlessly moved across the floor. Her leaps and twist were so graceful yet strong. He didn't know how  
she could move her body in such a way but it didn't matter much to him. This was all his. No one else had seen her dance this routine. As the song  
began to become more techtonic so were her movements. She spun so fast and stopped herself like it was nothing. Suddenly she went into a back bend and practically folded her self in half. Now Callie was on the floor, twisting herself into things only acrobats should do yet dancing at the  
same time. The she was up again and flying through the air. It was beautiful, something Derek had never seen in his whole life.

Callie had lost herself in the music. The routine was nearly this long but she kept going. Doing whatever her body told her to do.  
Just as she was about to prepare for another leap her ankle rolled. Callie could feel herself falling back, the wall coming even closer to her head.  
When she should have hit the hard floor instead she was caught by strong arms. Callie opened her eyes and looked up to see Derek's face so close  
to hers. Her breaths came out rapidly from all the energy she put in her dancing. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever.  
So close to each other, her shoulders to his chest, face to face. Callie's body was coursing with an energy that flowed between the two of them.  
All she could do was gaze into his eyes and think this was how things were supposed to be.

Derek's heart was beating fast. Of course he caught her, how could he even miss. But now what was he supposed to do? Derek could feel the heat coming off of her body, the soft wisps of her hair that fell down her neck. He could smell her sweet scent and almost taste her lips.  
Never had he felt this way about a girl or let himself come into this situation where he actually wanted to know someone.

Realizing they couldn't stay in that pose forever, Derek slowly brought Callie up. She tried to put weight on her ankle but it gave out and she stumbled.  
Derek easily caught her again. Callie laughed at herself. The sound brought a smile to Derek's face.

"You need to sit." he said and he scooped her up into his arms.

Callie was surprised by his sudden move and instinctually grabbed onto his neck. Derek didn't hide his smirk as he set her down into the chair.

"Are you all right?"

"Rolled my ankle. It's nothing. I do it a lot." she waved it off. But when she reached down to touch her ankle she flinched back in pain.

"Looks pretty bad. Are you sure?"

"Just give me some time. Just gotta rest."

Derek stood over her and nodded. He liked the fact that she had to look up at him. He got to see her purple gems for eyes better.  
Callie's shoulder's heaved with each breath and Derek reached over and handed her a bottle of water. She averted her eyes as she took it from him.

"Thanks." she mumbled before chugging down half of it.

Derek was sad that she wouldn't look at him. Was she embarrassed that he helped her? Was it a pride thing since she hurt herself?  
He just wanted her to keep looking at him. There was an awkward silence and Callie took her hair down.  
She pushed all of it to one side and twirled a strand around her finger, something she did out of nervousness.

"Your dance was really good. It was amazing." Derek finally said.

He didn't know whether complimenting her now was the right time. He put his hands behind his head and stared off into another corner of the room.  
Girls were complicated and in his experience always touchy.

"You think so? Even with me breaking my ankle?" Callie laughed. Derek was relieved she didn't take it so seriously.

"I've never seen anyone do stuff like that..."

"Well no one really sees my original stuff so consider yourself lucky."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. It's not like I do the talent show or anything. Sometimes I get put in the ballet recitals here as like a 'aw' factor."

"You're good."

"Not really. I could still be better."

Derek put his hand on her cheek and pulled her face towards his. Her skin was so soft and warm.

"I think you're perfect."

Callie blushed and turned her head away. Did he just say she was perfect? She could barely hide the smile on her lips and the red on her cheeks.  
Derek straightened up and fixed his shirt. He was embarrassed at the cheesiness of what he just said.

"It's getting late. I should probably get going..."

"Can you handle it? I'll drive you home." he offered.

"No. I wouldn't want you to walk all the way back. I got it Derek. I'll just hobble, its fine."

Callie stood up and started toward the door. Derek hooked his arm around her back and under her arm.  
Callie didn't want his help but she was glad to have him to put some of the weight off her ankle.  
They made it to the lobby and Callie shut off the lights and locked the door behind them.  
Derek practically carried her to her car and set her down in the driver seat. He leaned on the open door as she situated herself.  
Callie glanced at him and all her doubts she had ever had disappeared. His eyes were so gentle and caring.  
She hadn't ever felt so safe or loved. There wasn't even a trace of other intentions. He just wanted to be there for her.  
Callie began to feel uncomfortable with all the attention. She was always on her own or with Scott and Stiles and they were not the gentleman type.  
This was new to her in so many ways.

"Thanks for everything I guess. I'll be alright getting home." she reassured him.

"Ok. I'll see you around then." Derek closed her car door and watched her drive off.

Then he got into his own car and followed her. He kept his distance so she wouldn't notice.

_I think you're perfect. Oh God, what were you thinking? She's going to think you're some creep. Hell you're even following her home. _  
_Not helping at all. What are you doing Derek? Trying to get close when you know you shouldn't._

Derek shook the thoughts out of his head. Callie's house was coming up. He parked a few houses down and waited. She got out no problem and  
slowly made her way up to her door.

_See everything is fine. You're not needed._

But he wanted to be. Derek wanted to punch himself for that thought. Enough with that kind of thinking, there was business to attend to.  
Derek revved the Camaro's engine and sped off down the street.

**xXxXxXxXx**

The first thing Callie did Monday morning was find Scott and Stiles. She had to know what happened after the party.

"You're here!" she said breathlessly as she came up to the boys.

Scott and Stiles had their heads close together. Something they did when talking about important things.

"I didn't hear any reports on a wild animal attack like the recent ones so I'm guessing you didn't wolf out on anyone."

"Very funny Callie. I have a bigger problem though." Scott sighed.

Callie quirked an eyebrow, her eyes burning with concern.

"Scott's in love with a hunter's daughter." Stiles blurt out.

"Hunter? Like werewolf hunter?"

"Yes! Freakin' Allison's dad is a hunter! Her dad... Oh my God her dad!"

Scott was starting to hyperventilate, clearly upset to new heights at the realization.

"Dude calm down. Did you shift? Did he see you?" Callie put both her hands on Scott's shoulders trying to keep him grounded.

"He did more than see him." Stiles muttered.

Callie shot him a look and turned back to Scott who was nodding his head.

"Last night after I heard how Derek took you and Allison home I couldn't control myself. He's trouble I can tell. I got so angry that I  
shifted and took off after him. I found him at his house. But then these hunters showed up. Allison's dad shot me in the arm with a cross bow. Derek helped me but it got worse. I found out he didn't bite me. There's another one out there."

Callie was frozen. There was so much information to take in. Her mind had caught on to three things though.  
1. She did dream of Scott's run through the woods.  
2. Allison's dad was a werewolf hunter which meant she could be one too.  
And most shockingly 3. Derek was a werewolf.

"Derek is a werewolf too?! When did you guys plan on telling me this?" she practically screamed at them.

Scott and Stiles had confused expressions. Both of them looked at each other as if to say "You didn't tell her?"  
Stiles opened and closed his mouth a few times, thinking of the right explanation.  
Callie grabbed him by the collar and glared into his wide, green eyes.

"Callie we're sorry! It's just all this stuff keeps being thrown at us. We just forgot to tell you." Scott quickly said while pulling his friends apart.

"Well thanks guys. You let me go home with quite possibly a god damn murderer!"

"What? You think he's the one who cut up that girl in the woods?" Stiles stammered.

Callie froze up again. She had said that without thinking. Her emotions had gotten the better of her like they always did and

she said something she didn't believe in.

"I... I don't know, ok. I just get this feeling around him. It's probably nothing. Forget I said anything about a to class already."

With that Callie turned on her heel and walked off to her first period.

_Why did you say that? How stupid are you? You don't even know that its true. Think about what happened on Saturday._

She shook her head, tossing her maroon locks onto one shoulder.

What was it with this Derek Hale? First he makes her feel things she shouldn't even feel about a stranger.  
Next, he seems to pop up everywhere she is. And finally, he's a werewolf.  
If he was anything like Scott he was possibly a vicious, unpredictable werewolf.  
A deep sigh escaped Callie's lungs.

"You were so right when you said my senior year was going to be memorable Stiles." she whispered.

Callie's mind was whirling with emotions and thoughts she didn't want to be dealing with at school. She just wanted to find a quiet place  
to decompress if anything. Thankfully her art class was next. Painting away her troubles might help the most.  
As she grabbed her pallet and an armful of various watercolors her teacher Mr. Finch came over to her work station.

"Choosing the window seat again I see." the man said tugging thoughtfully at his goatee.

"Got a lot on my mind. Plus the natural lighting is good today."

"Such the artist. I'm really going to miss you when you graduate Callie."

Callie looked at her mentor. This was the only class she really enjoyed and their teacher-student relationship was almost on a friend level.

"Well I'll still be around here. I don't have enough money to go to school or anything."

"If that's true be sure to come visit me." he joked.

Callie nodded and set up her easel. She popped in her earbuds and let her paintbrush take her away.  
A few minutes in and the familiar electric tingle began to travel up her arms. Callie nearly dropped her paintbrush.  
Did Derek really need to be around now? Callie didn't know if she wanted to see him or not but she couldn't resist the magnetic pull  
he had on her. Callie excused herself to the restroom and let her legs take her to where Derek was waiting.  
He was at the same gate as the last time he visited her at school.

Derek pressed himself against the metal gate, eager to see her again.  
But something was different this time. Her pulse was beating a mile a minute and she was avoiding his eyes.  
Callie was nervously tugging on a strand of her hair and she stopped a few feet in front of the gate.  
Derek was hurt that she wouldn't look at him, didn't greet him with her normal enthusiasm.

"Why are you afraid of me?" he demanded.

Callie shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She timidly took a couple steps forward and then shoved her hands in her jacket pockets.

"You're a werewolf." her voice barely audible.

Derek frowned and his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. Of course Callie would find out eventually how could he expect her not too.

"You didn't know? Did Scott tell you?"

She nodded still not looking at him. Callie kicked her foot against the floor.

"Why are you afraid of me?" he asked again.

"I don't know. I don't know how you being a werewolf changes anything yet changes everything. I'm just confused which makes me scared.  
I mean I'm psychic. I can easily predict things. But this is different. I can't read you like everyone else."

"Is that a bad thing?" he didn't understand where she was talking about.

"It might be. Its just... different for me at least."

"Well I guess you're smart to be afraid of me. I'm dangerous." Derek sighed.

She didn't want to be near him. But he couldn't say the same for himself.  
In a flash, Derek reached through the bars in the gate and pulled her closer to him. Her eyes widened in surprise and finally met with his.

"I won't hurt you. Ever. I'll never let anyone hurt you either." he confessed.

Derek watched as Callie's stormy eyes suddenly cleared. Her heart calmed down and she relaxed. A small smile appeared on her face.

"What are you thinking about? Not all of us can read minds."

"Nothing. Just that I probably shouldn't trust you but something is telling me to anyways."

"You're complicated, you know that?"

"Can't be anymore complicated than being a werewolf." she joked back.

Derek smiled. That was the Callie he had come to know. Always finding something witty to say.

"How come you weren't all wolfy on the full moon? Scott had been acting weird all week leading up to it but you seemed fine." she asked.

"That's because I was born a werewolf. I have better control since its part of my nature. That's why Scott needs me."

Callie bit her lip, taking in what he had said. Derek took her hand in his and rubbed the top of hers with his thumb comfortingly.  
He was savoring being this close to her. Being able to have her scent envelope him and hear her voice. It was selfish of him knowing that  
he would have to end all of it and push her away soon.

"Do you have a phone?"

"What?" Derek wasn't prepared for her straight-forwardness.

"I'll give you my number. It'll be easier for us to talk. Plus I won't feel like you're stalking me since I've been seeing you everywhere."

Derek growled quietly. So she had been noticing him. He needed to work on his stealthiness.  
Callie pulled her phone out of her pocket and shoved it at him. Derek quickly typed in his number and handed it back.

"You know... I want to learn more about you too." Callie said, making Derek feel warm inside.

He scratched the back of his head, trying to hide the smile on his face.

"You should get back to class before they think you're ditching."

Callie nodded and then reached between the bars to throw her arms around Derek's neck.  
Derek was surprised again, and he tried his best to return the hug. He buried himself in Callie's hair enjoying its softness.  
Reluctantly he broke apart their embrace. He gave her a small wave and then walked back to his car.  
Callie hesitated at the gate. With just a single hug all her fears had disappeared.  
Sure he was a werewolf and sure he seemed to be hiding something but Callie didn't care. Everything just felt right in his arms.  
She heard an engine rev in the distance and she pulled out her phone.

"Bye." was all she put and then she ran back to class.

The lunch bell rang and Callie left the library to head to the cafeteria. Just as she was turning a corner a hand pulled her back.

"Woah! It's just us Callie!" Stiles yelled before she could punch one of the boys in the face.

"Jesus Christ don't do that to me!" she gasped.

Scott gave her an apologetic look and Stiles turned her head towards the office door.

"My dad's here. Use your psychic powers and read his mind."

"Stiles that might not work. He may not even be thinking about what he's saying. Trust me it's possible. You do it all the time."

Stiles pouted and Scott stepped forward. He had a look of intense concentration.

"They're talking about putting a curfew on students. Everyone has to be home by 9:30 because of the animal attacks."

"Thank you for wolf powers!" Stiles put his hands in the air.

"Now they're talking about the body... You guys I think I may know where it is..."

Stiles grabbed Scott's shoulder and twisted him around.

"What?! We need to go find it!"

"Problem is I think it's at the Hale house."

"Are you sure?" Callie questioned. Had she not just had a conversation with Derek that proved he wasn't the killer.

"Not really. But my mom works at the hospital so it'll be easy for me to get into the morgue and see if the scents match up."

Callie shook her head in disgust. "That is so wrong dude."

"Ok Scott we'll meet you at the edge of the forest then. You in Callie?" Stiles was practically jumping in excitement.

Callie was battling within herself. If they found the body that could mean Derek would be arrested and what if he was the murderer?  
What would she do if it came to that?

"Alright I'll pick you up at 5 then. We need to get there before the sun goes down." Stiles answered his own question for her.

Callie was left in the dust with what just happened. She guessed there was no going back now.

Just like he said Stiles came to get her for their expedition in the forest. Callie was silent the whole ride there, unable to calm her mind or her nerves.  
When she tried concentrating on the future she always got a dark, uneasy feeling. She wasn't ready for the truth they would uncover tonight.  
The trees became denser and then a figure was illuminated by Stiles's headlights. Scott was already there waiting for them.

"Come on let's go. He's not home so now is our chance." Scott called as the two of them got out of the car.

"I don't feel good about this one guys." Callie tried to warn them.

"Do you like Derek or something Callie?" Stiles teased as they jogged towards the house.

Callie bit her lip and looked away. Scott stopped in his tracks and gaped at her.

"You do! I heard your heart Callie! How could you like Derek? He ruined our lives!"

"Shut up Scott! You don't know what you're talking about and Derek isn't that bad. He's been nice to me."

"You've hung out with him?! Callie I told you to stay away from him!"

"Well excuse me! I'm pretty capable of making my own damn decisions considering I'm older than you!"

Scott charged up to Callie and Callie held her ground. Stiles looked frantically at his friends before getting between them.

"Look we're already at the house guys. Let's just finish this up ok?"

Callie huffed and bumped into Scott's shoulder as she went towards the empty house. Scott balled his fists and trudged over to a mound of dirt.

"Is the scent the same?" Stiles asked.

Scott nodded and looked at Callie, who was avoiding his glare.

"Let's start digging."

As the boys desecrated the grave Callie wandered over to the house. She walked up to the door, not sure if she should go in or not.  
An idea hit Callie and she put her hand against the door. She concentrated on the feel of the wood and the slight smoky scent of the fire left in the  
foundation. She slowed her breathing as she entered a trance like state. Now she was standing inside the house. She could see the burnt walls and  
furniture coated with ash. Callie could imagine the house before the fire. It made her sad how such a beautiful house could be lost.  
She wandered through the kitchen and hallways. She went up the stairs and noticed a door was slightly ajar on the undamaged side of the house. Callie was about to enter the room when the voices of her friends brought her back to reality.

"Callie... we found it."

Inside the grave was a bag and sure enough a body. Scott pulled open the bag and all three of them jumped back.  
A wolf lay there, bloodied and mutilated. Callie turned away from the sight.

"What's that?" Stiles moved toward a blue flower at the foot of the grave.

"Looks like blue monkshood." Callie murmured.

Stiles pulled it out of the ground to find it was connected to a rope. He kept pulling and the rope spiraled around the body.  
Right before their eyes, the wolf body transformed into a girl. Callie couldn't hold back the scream of terror that erupted from her lungs.  
Scott wrapped his arms around her and quieted her down.

"Call your dad Stiles." he said in a grave voice. "I'm sorry Callie."

Red and blue lights flashed off the house as a whole unit of police officers responded to the call. Callie stood with her arms crossed as she watched  
Derek be handcuffed and forced out of his house. He had literally walked into an ambush when he returned to the house later that night.  
Callie avoided his eyes as he fought with the officers that were dragging him to the police car. She felt like she had betrayed him.  
She knew he didn't do it the moment he stepped into his house. But no one would listen to her, all the evidence pointed towards Derek.

Sheriff Stilinski was lecturing and questioning the three friends but Callie wasn't paying any attention.  
Guilt was tearing at her insides. The electric tingle now felt like a fire throughout her entire body, Derek was desperately trying to get her attention.  
Not being able to take it anymore Callie turned her head to watch him get shoved into the back seat. His blue eyes pierced right through her.

She whispered "I'm sorry." knowing he'd be able to hear her.

Derek jerked his head in a gesture to get her over to him. She shook her head. No way Sheriff Stilinski would let her near him.  
He saw Callie as his daughter and that meant he was the over protective dad.

"You kids need to stop meddling in police affairs. This better be the last time you're involved with a case. Is that clear?"

All three of them nodded and the sheriff went off to talk with the other officers.

"He's innocent." Callie immediately said.

"How do you know?" Scott retorted.

"Is that even a question Scott?" Callie implied her mind reading capabilities.

"I'm gonna go talk to him." Stiles said.

"Dude no." Scott tried to stop him but Stiles brushed him off.

Callie intently watched her friend as he carefully walked to the car that held Derek and sat in the front seat.  
Callie moved herself behind Scott so she could listen in on the conversation.

"Don't move Scott or you'll give me away."

The glow from Callie's eyes illuminated Scott's back as she used her powers to the highest level.

_"I'm not afraid of you." Stiles stammered._

_"It's not me you should be afraid of. It's him. What are you going to do when he shifts during a game?"_

_"We'll handle it."_

_"What are you going to do when Scott attacks someone? What if he attacks Callie?"_

_"Why do you care about Callie so much? Why are you trying to get to her?"_

_"... It doesn't matter. You need me to help with Scott."_

_"Enough about Scott. Tell me, did you kill the girl?"_

_"No!"_

_"Do you know who did?"_

_"That's what I'm trying to figure out." _

The conversation was cut short at Sheriff Stilinski pulled his son out of the car.  
Callie jumped as she heard Derek's voice talk to her specifically.

_"Watch out for Scott. Be careful because I may not be there to catch you when you fall again."_

Callie returned Derek's gaze. He hadn't stopped looking at her for a second. She felt so wrong about the whole situation.

"I'm sorry." she whispered again and he nodded as if to say "I know."

Derek's expression softened as he noticed her eyes were brimming with tears. And then she was gone as the car took off towards the road.

Callie staggered and fell against Scott. He held her up and walked her to Stiles's Jeep. She had used up all her energy and was not only  
physically exhausted but also emotionally.

"Are you ok?"

"Just take me home." she whispered, trying to hold back the hot tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

* * *

**AN~: This was a long one! I wanted to squeeze in as much as possible for some reason. I really wanted to show you a little bit of Callie's normal life and really get into what's happening between Derek and her. Well thanks for waiting patiently. I just want to say that all the views my little story has gotten has made me really happy! Keep leaving reviews I love you all!~**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN~: So I realized that writing longer chapters is more of my style. ****But judging from the amazing reviews you lovelies have been leaving **

**you like my rambling! You guys make me so happy with all the views this story has gotten. ^-^ Ok enough of the mushy stuff.**

**On to Chapter 4!**

* * *

A loud ringing in Callie's ears woke her up from her fitful sleep. She rubbed her temples thinking it was a headache. Her phone began to vibrate  
and she grabbed it off the night stand before it fell off.

"Hello?" her voice was groggy from sleepiness.

"It's me."

Derek's voice echoed through Callie's ears and she perked up immediately.

"You're not going to jail!" she excitedly stated, having learned it from a vision in her dreams.

"Of course you would know that already. They're going to hold me for a few days. Do all the questioning considering the body was on my property."

Derek sounded disappointed and a little bit angry. Callie hoped it wasn't aimed at her.

"I didn't want to go to your house. It was Scott's idea. He thinks you're bad."

"Figures. Kid doesn't know when someone just wants to help him out."

"Are you going to be at the game to keep an eye on him?"

"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see." he teased her.

Callie would be waiting for the sensation. She had slowly come to crave it. When she felt Derek was around she knew she was safe.

"Did you use your one phone call on me?"

"Yup, consider yourself lucky. You're the only one who would be worrying about me anyways."

Callie's heart leapt and sunk at the same time. Derek knew she cared about him. But she was also sad that Derek was alone.  
She knew what that was like having to take care of herself for so long.

"You know you don't have to be alone. I could be-"

"Look I have to go now. Scott isn't ready to play in the game yet. Get him out of it."

The line went dead and Callie fell back onto her pillows. When would she ever get a break?

At school Callie wasn't feeling much for being social. Her and Scott hadn't really apologized for their argument when they went to the Hale house  
so they weren't exactly on speaking terms. Stiles tried to mediate between them but Callie wasn't going to give in just to prove her point.  
Sometimes she sat with them at lunch but most of the time she hung out around her locker, listening to music and doodling.  
Callie loved her boys but after the past events she figured a week off from them wouldn't be too bad.

Callie tapped her pencil against her knee to the beat of her music and leaned her head against the cool metal lockers.  
Moments later Allison's energy began to draw closer to her and she peeked open an eye.  
Sure enough Allison was cautiously approaching her and timid smile on her pink lips.  
Callie pulled out her ear buds and waved the pretty girl over.

"What's up Allison? Where are Lydia and Jackson? You're usually with them."

"I came here to talk to you actually."

"Oh, well take a seat." Callie patted the ground next to her, scooting over a bit.

Allison sat in the space just made and clasped her hands together.

"Are you and Scott fighting? Because I noticed you haven't been with him or Stiles and well I'm a little mad at him too."

Callie's purple eyes darkened a bit. Was her and Scott's little feud that obvious? She'd have to fix it soon if she didn't want to be in the social spotlight.

"Um you could say that. It's nothing just a disagreement. But you and Scott is more important! Is this about him leaving you at the party?  
Scott is a pretty awkward around girls he likes so don't take it too hard. He's also kinda strung out with the upcoming game. He finally  
made it to first line so there's a lot of pressure. If I were you I would make the first move and let him know what's up.  
Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you don't get to control your relationships."

"He likes me? You really think that's going to work?" Allison seemed to perk up at the advice.

"Yeah definitely. I've known Scott forever. We've always been best friends. Go get him!"

Allison laughed happily and hugged Callie tightly. Callie returned the hug and stood up with her.  
Time to reconcile with her friends and hopefully win Scott over with development she had made with the girl of his dreams.

Scott and Stiles were at their usual table in the cafeteria and Callie quickly sat down next to Stiles.  
Stiles was just in the process of shoving a hand full of fries into his mouth which promptly fell out onto his tray.  
Callie raised an eyebrow at him and srunched up her nose.

"You have the worst eating habits ever."

"Oh well look who it is. Team Derek." Scott sneered at her.

Callie ignored his immaturity and leaned in closer to the boys.

"Forget about that for right now. I got news and you might wanna pay close attention." she eyed Scott.

"First, Derek is just trying to help you if you'd let him. Second, I may have figured out a way to keep you under control during the game.  
And third, I helped you out with Allison. She's got puppy love for you all over again." Callie continued.

"How are you going to help Scott keep from shifting? Anything that raises his pulse triggers it!" Stiles exclaimed.

"Allison still likes me?" Scott's tough exterior melted instantly.

"Don't underestimate me. I have skills. Scott if you want to play in the game then we need to start training ASAP.  
And yes Allison still likes you thanks to me. I gave her some advice so we'll just see if it works."

Scott couldn't help but smile at the thought of being with Allison.

"I'm gonna go talk to her right now."

Callie reached across the table and yanked him back into his chair.

"Oh no you're not. Look, by training I mean serious time consuming stuff. I'm going to attempt to keep your emotions in check while you're playing.  
So we're gonna have to spend some time getting used to being in each other's minds."

"What? Like some kind of mind-meld thing?" Stiles butt in.

"Pretty much. Scott don't give me that look. I've been you best friend since forever I already know all the embarrassing things about you."

"So I can't hang out with Allison at all this week?"

"Nope. Just me and you, lover boy. Stiles can come to if you feel better that way." Callie was enjoying having the upper hand on him.

"Fine. Fine." Scott gave in.

Stiles patted him on the back and threw an arm over his shoulder.

"Just think about it. Being on first line and winning the game without turning all wolfy and killing people will totally win Allison over  
and her hunter dad won't have a reason to shoot you again!"

"This better work Callie." Scott groaned.

"Aw c'mon Scott! You should have more faith in me." Callie winked a purple eye and lightly punched his arm.

Scott moaned and threw his hands around his head. Callie watched him patiently as he got up and stomped around her room for what  
was probably the tenth time that evening. They had told Scott's mom that Callie was tutoring him in chemistry and history so he could have  
an excuse to come over to her house after practice.

"This is so boring! I could be having fun with Allison now that I know she still likes me but I'm stuck here meditating!" he yelled.

"In good time young padawan. If you want to win the heart of the girl you have to win the game. And you need to do that without wolfing out."

"Wise words Master Yoda." Stiles added as he lounged in Callie's egg chair.

They high fived at the Star Wars jokes and Scott groaned again. Callie stretched her back and smiled to herself.  
Things were going according to plan. She had been able to successfully get into Scott's inner mind a few days before.  
Now she was secretly trying to get him upset and worked up so she could practice calming him down.  
Hormonal teenage boys were so predictable.

Callie's phone rang and Stiles scrambled to see who it was. He grabbed the phone before her and his eyes mischievously flashed.

"Ooooh Derek is calling you." he said while making a kissy face.

Callie shoved her hand into his face causing him to fall onto the floor.

"Why is Scott still playing in the game?" Derek demanded.

"Well hello to you too. He's playing in the game because I'm a good friend."

"You're not a good friend if he shifts and kills people." Derek snarled on the other side of the phone.

"Does no one have faith in me? I got this Derek. We're working on it right now."

"I know. I can see him through your window."

Callie flew towards her window and peered out into the street. There was Derek's black Camaro, idling across the way.

"I thought we were past the creepy stalker stuff Derek."

Scott appeared next to Callie, his muscles tensing and his fists clenching.

"What is he doing here?" he growled.

Stiles went to pull Scott away but Scott batted him away as if he was nothing.

"Dude calm down. I guess my dad let Derek out early. The morgue said that there were animal bite marks and wolf hair on the body.  
Derek is human, not wolf, so no jail." Stiles tried to reason with Scott but it was too late.

It was time to see if all this training was going to pay off. Scott glared down at Derek and his breathing became heavier.  
Callie could feel the change in his energy as the shift was taking place. First calming down her panicked heart, she put all her effort into focusing  
on Scott's emotions. She knew Scott's wolf nature was going to fight her the whole way. Her eyes were ablaze as she got through to Scott.

_"Scott don't fight me. Scott, listen to my voice. Remember why we've been training this week. Think about Allison. Eyes on the prize."_

The seconds stretched to minutes and the minutes seemed to go on forever. Scott finally unclenched his hands and he leaned against the wall.  
His mind was calmer than before and his heart was steadying. Callie put the phone to her ear to hear Derek still on the line, calling her name loudly.

"I told you we had it under control." she panted.

"What the hell just happened?" he demanded.

"I just helped Scott keep from shifting. Any other complaints you got for me?"

"It's not going to work."

"Come to the game and you'll see." Callie smirked and hung up.

She could feel Derek's icy glare from his car outside. She waved cheekily at him and the sports car sped off.  
Stiles jumped up in the air and held his arms up triumphantly.

"We did it! No one is gonna die!"

Callie fell onto her bed exhausted. Scott looked just as tired and collapsed next to her.

"Please try not to shift more than once when you're playing."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Callie drove Scott back home later that day. It was getting dark and the street lights had just flickered on.  
Callie rolled down the windows enjoying the cool, crisp air. Things felt good.  
She had helped out Scott in two ways and she had learned of another ability of hers.

"Hey, thanks Callie... for everything with Allison." Scott murmured.

"No problem. I like seeing you happy and if she makes you happy then I'll help you get your girl."

"Sorry I can't say the same about you and Derek. I just don't think you should trust him."

"Scott. There isn't anything going on between me and Derek like you and Allison. We're just two people getting to know each other.  
I can take care of myself. Respect my decisions and I'll do the same for you."

He nodded and unbuckled himself as they pulled up to his house. Mrs. McCall appeared in the door way and waved at Callie.

"Tell Mom I say hi. Don't get into any trouble."

"You make it seem like I can't go a day without trouble."

"Just teasing Scott. Older sister mentality here. See you tomorrow."

Scott walked up to his house and Callie began the drive back home.

_There's nothing going on between me and Derek like you and Allison_. The words replayed in her mind over and over.  
Of course there couldn't be. She had only just met him and barely started talking to him. And most of the talking involved Scott of all people.  
No way she could have feelings of the romantic kind for Derek. Nope.  
Callie figured the more she told herself that the more it would be true. But there was not escaping the tugging feeling in her heart.

Callie pulled her hood on over her maroon hair, trying to keep from being blinded by the field lights. The bleachers were already so full of people.  
Her eyes scanned the area for somewhere to sit but something else caught her attention. Derek stood in the shadows at the far side of the crowd.  
Callie ignored the bite in his blue eyes and walked over to him.

"Come to see my plan in action." she winked at him.

"I came here just in case it failed."

Derek was annoyed at the wide smile she gave him in response.

"Such the worrier. It's gonna work."

"You're too confident in this."

"Despite my reputation as a Goth, I am quite the optimist."

Derek looked away from her smug face and stuffed his hands in his pockets. A tug on his leather jacket sleeve made him return his gaze to Callie.

"Do you always look so moody? Come sit with me." she pleaded.

"Can't. I'm still on the watch list you know."

"Right. Well... Will I be able to find you after the game?" Her bright eyes peered into his.

Derek forgot what he was going to say for a moment. What was it with this girl?

"I'll be over here if your plan works out. "

He watched as happiness took over her features. Callie hugged him quickly and then went off to where Stiles was.  
Derek crossed his arms in frustration and waited for the worse to happen.

Stiles was sitting on his usual spot on the bench when Callie came up behind him and slapped him on the shoulder.

"You ready for this?" she asked enthusiastically.

"I'm just hoping one of our plans goes right for once."

Callie sat down next to him and put an arm over his shoulder. The players entered the field and the crowd cheered.

"Ready or not here we go." she whispered.

Callie figured the first part of the game wouldn't take too much of a toll on Scott, so she began to look over the crowd.

There was Sheriff Stilinski, on duty of course, Scott's mom, and Lydia sitting with Allison and .  
Callie swallowed down an uncomfortable lump of fear. She followed his gaze directly to Scott.

"C'mon Scott. Keep it together. Daddy Hawk Eyes is watching." she encouraged her friend wondering if he could hear.

Stiles was nervously chewing on his glove as he followed all of Scott's moves. Suddenly the ball landed dead center in the field.  
Scott was charging to scoop it up but Jackson shoved him out of the way to get it himself. One score later and no one seemed to even  
notice the rivalry between the two.

"Not good. Not good." Stiles stammered.

Callie gripped his hand and searched for Scott's mind. She closed her eyes in effort to keep their glowing hidden.  
With all the practice they had put in Callie easily found her way to him. She focused on steadying his heart beat and pushed positive thoughts  
into his subconcious.

_"Don't think about kicking Jackson's ass. Think about winning the game. That'll teach his pretty boy self."_

Callie could feel Scott's anger begin to subside and a spark of amusement from her words.  
She exhaled sharply as she came out of her psychic state and found Stiles's wide green eyes staring at her.

"I got him. We're ok."

Stiles relaxed his shoulders, a smile of relief spread across his face. A tingle crawled up Callie's spine. She turned her head around.  
Derek's figure could be barely seen in the shadows. She knew he was there though and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Hey. Who are you?"

Callie jumped in surprise. Coach was standing in front of her, looking at her in confusion.

"Why are you on my bench?" he asked again.

"I, uh... I'm doing stats for the team. Math project."

Just then there was a huge uproar from the crowd. The team had miserably failed and let the opposing team steal the ball and score.  
Coach's attention was diverted and Callie breathed out.

"That's the third one they let get by. Scott hasn't gotten a chance at the ball at all. Oh crap Callie look at him!"

Scott was standing off to the side as the rest of the team huddled up. He was bent over at the waist, shoulders heaving from large breaths.  
Callie jolted up to her feet. Scott was already shifting and it would be too late.  
Three pairs of eyes were on Callie and she tried to ignore them. Derek was there waiting for her plan to go wrong.  
Stiles was beside her freaking out over not being able to do anything. Mr. Argent who surely knew more about supernatural beings other than wolves.

"Go Jackson!" the shrill cheer broke Callie's concentration.

Up in the stands, Allison and Lydia were holding a poster made specially for Jackson.

"Shit!" Callie hissed under her breath as Scott's golden eyes flashed behind his face guard. He had seen the poster and his crush cheering  
for the enemy. If anything was going to set him off it would be this.  
Callie went into emergency mode and shot herself into Scott's mind.

_"Think about the game Scott! Think about winning! Get the ball and get the winning shot. Do it for the team. Don't shift. Don't shift. _  
_Keep cool. Stay calm. Dammit Scott are you even listening to me? I can feel your claws coming out. Stop it Scott! Don't shift!"_

Callie felt like she was trying to break down a brick wall. Scott was so close to fully shifting. The wolf inside him was fighting her attempts to  
keep his human side on top. She couldn't even tell if he could hear her at this point. But she didn't quit.  
Callie switched back and forth between giving Scott a pep talk and trying to manually control his heart's rhythm.  
She was so deep in Scott's subconscious that she didn't feel Stiles sit her body down or dip her head to hide the intense purple glow of her eyes.

A loud bell rang signalling the end of the game. Callie snapped out of her concentration and slumped forward.  
Stiles rushed to get in front of her and held up her shoulders.

"Are you ok?"

"What happened? Did we win?" she said breathlessly.

"Yeah we did. After the time out and when Scott was shifting he kept going after the ball and making goals.  
It was amazing except for the fact that he was wolfed out!"

Callie weakly smiled. She had stopped him from fulling shifting. Her plan worked to some degree.

"I gotta go after him. He ran off to the locker rooms. Will you be ok here?" Stiles's eyes were full of concern.

"Go get Scott. I'll be here, catching my breath." Callie panted.

Stiles disappeared into a sea of celebrating people. Callie leaned her head back and let out a laugh.  
A shadow fell over her and Callie bent backwards even more to see who it was.  
The top of her head met Derek's stomach. She smiled at him.

"Told you it would work."

"Barely." he sighed. "Took too much out of you if you ask me."

"It was worth it though."

"You won't be able to do it all the time." he warned.

"I won't need to. Knowing Stiles we'll find something else that will work."

Derek shook his head and straightened her up. She was an odd, confusing, fascinating girl that was for sure.

"Let me drive you home." he offered.

"No. I drove myself. I don't want to leave my car." her voice was faltering from exhaustion.

"You can barely walk. And it's fine. I didn't bring my car this time."

"You walked here? Why?" Callie looked utterly astounded.

"Werewolf remember. Running a short distance isn't going to tire me out."

"Right, right." Callie lazily leaned against Derek's shoulder.

Derek groaned and lifted her onto him fireman style. Callie gripped onto his back and struggled to get herself out of the position.

"Quit moving! I'm gonna drop you. For someone who looks like they're going to knock out you have a lot of energy."

"This looks like a kidnapping. Put me down Derek."

Derek didn't want to let go of her so he just twisted her around so that she could put an arm around his neck and he carried her newly-wed style.

"You don't need to carry me."

"Yeah I do."

"Seriously Derek I can walk. I have legs."

"Nope. Not letting you stumble and twist your ankle again."

"That was different. I'm not that breakable."

"Shut up we're at your car already."

Derek looked down at Callie. She was hiding her face in her hood but Derek could feel the heat of the blush on her cheeks.

"Uh, you can put me down now." her voice was muffled by his shoulder.

Derek gently let down her legs and then held out his hand for the keys. Callie reluctantly dug them out of her pocket.  
Derek opened the door for her before heading around to the driver's side.

"At least you remember your manners. Stiles and Scott always try to leave before I'm even in the car."

"Just because I was born a werewolf doesn't mean I was raised by wolves."

The sound of Callie's light laugh filled his ears. He wished he could hear more of it all the time.  
Derek's curious eyes glanced over to her. She had leaned the seat back and rolled the window down.  
Her hand lazily glided in the cool air and her hair was playfully tossing in the wind.  
Callie quietly sung along with the song on the radio, a tiny smile on her lips.

By the time they got to her house, Callie was fast asleep.  
Derek shook his head and laughed lightly to himself. He lifted her up into his strong arms, careful not to disturb her,  
Luckily her house keys were attached to her car key, making getting in easier.  
Derek was a little nervous entering the house. It was going to be awkward explaining to her parents why he was carrying her in.  
But no one was home. The house was dark and empty.  
Derek made his way up the stairs and guessed her room by scent. This was the first time he had ever been in her house instead of outside it.  
The teal walls of Callie's room magnified the moonlight coming in from her window.  
Derek lay Callie down on her queen sized bed. He brushed away the hair from her face and took off her shoes.  
She looked so peaceful and he didn't want to leave her alone like that.

_"You did your job. Got her home safe. Time to leave and not get any closer."_

Derek ignored his head and followed his instinct which told him to get in bed next to her. Callie unknowingly cuddled up next to him.  
Not sure what to do, Derek put his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling for a bit.  
He was so utterly aware of the girl sleeping next to him. All his senses running haywire.  
The steady beat of her heart, the scent of her surrounding him, the colors of everything in her room illuminated by the moon.  
Just being next to her made him feel complete and he didn't have a single clue as to why.

Callie slowly came out of her sleep and stretched out her arms, feeling the satisfying pops and cracks.  
Her hand hit something hard and a muffled breath responded. Callie gasped and nearly fell off her bed.  
Derek reached out and pulled her onto his chest in a protective reflex.  
Callie sat there on his muscular chest, purple eyes wide in surprise. Derek just smiled at her, amused by her girly instincts.

"You're here. In my bed." she stuttered.

"Yeah. You fell asleep in the car so I carried you in."

"And you spent the night?"

"Figured I should lay low. Be away from my house. Too much surveillance going on over there." he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh." Callie pursed her lips pondering the situation.

Her hands slid over Derek's chest and she realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. She scrambled off of him.  
Derek was really amused by this. He thought she'd be used to boys in her room with all the time she spent with Scott and Stiles.  
He sat up and faced her. She was hiding her face in the sleeves of her hoodie. Derek reached over and smoothed out her bed head.  
Her heart was pounding and Derek relished having this kind of effect on her.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"One o'clock." he replied after peeking at her clock.

Callie jumped up and rushed over to her closet.

"Shit. I gotta be at the studio in half an hour."

A flurry of clothes went spinning around the room as she got ready for the day.  
Derek watched her disappear into the bathroom and listened to the chaotic rush.  
A few minutes later Callie reappeared in her blush leotard, black tights, and purple knee high socks.  
Derek stood up, already in his signature leather jacket.

"I'll drive." he said.

"I don't need a chauffeur." Callie didn't like having someone doing so much for her. She was used to taking care of things on her own.

"Too bad. I'm still driving you."

Callie huffed in frustration while following Derek down the stairs. She quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle and an apple.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him as they drove downtown.

"Can't you just read my mind and figure that out yourself?"

"No." she said quietly.

Derek looked at her. "What?"

"I can't read your mind. Well I guess I could but for some reason with you it takes way more effort than anyone else.  
You already know what happens to me when I use too much energy."

His eyebrows knitted together as he thought over what she said. What made him so difficult to read?  
Maybe it wasn't a bad thing though. If she could read his mind then she would have known how most of his thoughts revolved around her.  
That could make whatever they had going on a lot more awkward.

Derek pulled up to the dance studio and parked the car.

"So what are you going to do today?" Callie asked.

"Probably go over to my house and hide my car. Then I'll come back and get you later."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "Meaning you're still staying at my house?"

"Just for one more night or so."

They locked eyes for a moment. Callie's breath caught in her throat. His blue eyes were so bright.

"Ok, come back here any time. I'm staying late."

Derek got out of the car first and then helped Callie out. He handed her back the keys and she gave him a hug before leaving.  
He waited a few minutes and then started off for the woods.

"Who was that?" Sarah interrogated Callie as she entered the staff room.

"Him? He's just a friend." Callie said embarrassed by the older woman's curiosity.

"A cute friend. I always knew you'd be into the bad boy type."

Callie stumbled at the remark as she put on her pointe shoes. Sarah laughed at her innocence.

"Hey as long as he treats you right I'm ok with a little rebel. But one wrong move on his part and he'll have to deal with an angry dance teacher."

"We're just friends. No need to worry."

Callie followed her into the room they would be having class. The kids all ran up to her and hugged her legs.  
Some of them even asked why she had such pink cheeks.

Derek got to his house no problem. The run there was exhilarating, finally getting to stretch out his legs and just run.  
The house was the same as it always was. Empty. Silent. Full of memories.  
Derek wasted no time changing his clothes and starting up his Camaro. The engine rumbled and power radiating from the steering wheel.  
This was so much better than driving Callie's Nissan.

The black car sped down the forest roads until finding pavement. Derek just needed to fill it up with gas before taking it to his usual hiding spot.  
The sun was setting and the gas station was deserted. Derek leaned against the car and exhaled. In a little bit he'd go see Callie.  
The sound of a large car approaching interrupted his thoughts.  
A red SUV and a black SUV pulled up around his Camaro. Derek stood up, muscles tensed.  
Chris Argent exited the red one, closely followed by some other hunters.

"I see you got a real nice car here. Black ones are harder to maintain though." he casually ran a hand over the hood.

"It's a shame. Your's could use some more work."

Derek held his tongue. He wasn't going to fall into whatever game Argent was trying to pull him into.

"We've been looking for you for quite a while now Derek. Had us a good run. Hanging around the school is what gave you away."

Derek tightened his jaw. His eyes not leaving Chris Argent for a second. Was this some kind of threat?

"You're over there almost everyday. And you always talk to a particular girl. Callie Ficarro is it? She's a friend of Allison's.  
I wouldn't want anything harmful to happen to her. Her parents aren't the type to take care of her but you wouldn't know that."

What was he trying to get at? Derek knew he was messing with his head. Why would he bring up Callie?

"Don't slip up Derek. You're under close watch. The police aren't the only ones protecting this town."

Chris Argent made his way past Derek back to his car. The other hunters sneered at him, eyeing the Camaro.

"You forgot to check the engine." Derek growled. He thought to make it pretty clear he wasn't afraid of a little hunter gang.

"You heard the man. Check the engine." Argent nodded at one of the men.

The sound of shattering glass echoed all around them. The hunter cackled and quickly got back into the SUV, tapping a baseball bat against his leg.  
Derek swore under his breath. This meeting was definitely a threat.

Callie slid to the floor into her splits. It was dark and Derek hadn't come back yet.  
She pushed her shoulders back and brought her back foot to her head. Flexibility was key and she wasn't about to lose her skill.  
But Callie got bored of stretching and flopped onto her stomach. She reached over to check her phone.  
Nothing new from either Scott or Stiles. She didn't bother to tell them that Derek was using her house as a hideout.  
They used to tell each other everything but now it seemed they were all keeping secrets.  
Callie sighed and let down her hair. She ran her hand through her maroon locks before packing up her things.  
She shut off the lights and locked the front door. When she turned she ran right into Derek.  
His eyes were stormier than usual and he wore a scowl.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine. You're done here already?"

"Yeah. I got tired of being in one room all day. No private show for you sorry."

Derek's jaw was tense and he had his hands deep in his pockets. Callie knew something had happened with him.

"Derek, what's going on in there." she poked his forehead playfully. He grabbed her hand and dragged her to her car.

"Nothing. Let's just go."

Callie went to the passenger seat not wanting to argue over driving with his current mood.

Callie followed Derek as he stomped into her house. She was a little annoyed at his attitude hoping she wouldn't have to deal with it all night.  
Totally forgetting her parents were probably home by now, Callie began to panic as she heard the sound of a television on.  
It was coming from her parents room. Callie shoved her hands into Derek's back, pushing him up the stairs.  
Luckily he was out of view when her dad came into the kitchen.

"Was there someone with you?" his words were slurred.

"No dad. You're just drunk." Callie sighed. The weekend was always when her parents decided to get intoxicated to the point of no return.

"Don't talk to me like that. I'm your dad."

"Hardly." she muttered under her breath. Apparently it was just loud enough for her father to hear.

"What you say? Shut your damn mouth before I shut it for you. Get out of my sight you worthless shit."

Callie ducked as he swung at her and yelled at her to clean the house before he woke up. She bolted up the stairs and slammed her door.  
Derek stared at her back as she leaned her head against the wood.

"Is that why you stay late at work?" he meekly asked.

Callie nodded, her long hair falling over her eyes.

"It's always like that so I'm used to it. He doesn't really mean any of it. He's just too drunk to think about it."

Derek clenched his fists. "You don't have to put up with it! Why do you let your parents treat you this way?"

"Don't get mad its not your problem. Like I said it's always been like this. There's nothing you can do about it anyway."

Derek grabbed her wrists and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tight and cradled her.  
This was the first time he had ever hugged Callie. She was surprised by the sudden action. At first she didn't know what to think.  
But she let the embrace happen and put her arms around his middle. They stayed like that until she pushed him off.  
Callie wiped her eyes before the tears could be seen.

"Go to sleep." she commanded him as she went to take a shower.

Derek laid back onto the pillows obediently. His mind was rearing.  
First the hunters threaten him with her and then he finds out just how evil her parents are.  
Callie deserved better. She deserved the best. Was he good enough for her?

When Callie emerged from the steamy bathroom, she found Derek sifting through one of her sketchbooks.  
Three other ones were piled next to him on the bed.  
Derek looked up at her, his eyes immediately drawn to the Batman boy shorts she wore under a baggy tshirt.

"Like you wear actual pajamas too." Callie teased.

Derek acted like something outside the window was suddenly a lot more interesting. He felt the bed dip as she sat next to him.

"What do you think?"

"What?" Derek jumped at the question.

"The drawings perv. Do you like my drawings?" she over enunciated each word in the last question.

"Oh yeah. They're good."

Callie threw the sketchbooks off the bed and turned off the light.

"Go to sleep Derek."

Callie flipped onto her side and faced him. He returned to his usual position. Hands behind his head, eyes plastered to the ceiling.  
She wondered what was going through his mind. He still hadn't said what had upset him earlier and she didn't expect him too.  
Derek was complicated. One minute he's saying how he's dangerous the next he's carrying her and making sure she's ok.  
What did he want from her? More importantly, what did she want from him?

Derek glanced over at Callie's sleeping figure a few minutes later. She was holding her pillow in both hands, curled up in a little ball.  
He took this time to steal looks at her. Taking a strand of her hair he twirled it around his finger, enjoying her scent as it surrounded him.  
So many questions were bombarding his mind but he'd deal with them later.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

The sound of laughter and quick footsteps lead Callie around to where the buses were parked at school.  
Scott and Allison were sneaking into a bus. Callie could only guess why.  
She was in one of Scott's dreams again. Her feet carried her against her will into the bus.  
Callie's hair began to stand up on the back of her neck. This wasn't an ordinary dream. It was much more real.  
Suddenly Scott pushed Allison away. Callie started to panic as she felt him beginning to shift.  
As much as she wanted to scream or run to help Allison escape, Callie was nothing more than a phantom, a helpless bystander.  
Allison realized the danger she was in and was running to the front of the bus.  
It was too late though. Scott went full wolf and attacked her.  
Callie winced as warm blood splattered all over her. Allison's screams of terror pierced her ears.  
This was all too real to be a dream.

Callie bolted up, her breaths coming out in ragged pants.  
A strong hand placed itself on her back. Callie turned her head to see Derek's blue eyes in the early morning light.  
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Callie ran a hand through her hair and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Just a nightmare." she whispered.

Derek rubbed her back comfortingly. She fell back against the pillows and pulled the covers up above her head.

"Was is bad? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope. I just wanna go back to sleep."

Derek sighed and lay back down. He stroked her hair for a bit before returning to his own dreams.  
Little did he know that Callie was still awake. Terror coursing through her as the vision of Scott killing Allison played over in her mind.  
Something horrible was coming. Callie wasn't sure if she or anyone would be ready for it.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN~: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the love with the story. When I first started writing I didn't think that my work would even get noticed. But the amount of views I've been getting has really given me a confidence boost! So again thanks so much and here's Chapter 5!**

* * *

Shocked and angry faces flashed by Callie as she ran through the school eyes darting from face to face in search for either of her best friends.  
At last she found Stiles leisurely leaning against a wall. Callie skidded to a halt nearly knocking right into him.

"Woah Callie! What's the rush?"

"Where's Scott?" She demanded.

"Scott... He's not here yet. Getting around on a dirtbike isn't exactly the fastest mode of transportation. Hey whats wrong? Your eyes are bugging out."

Callie tried to calm herself down and pushed her hair over to one shoulder.  
When she caught her breath she told Stiles about the horrifying vision she had of Scott.

"Holy shit." Stiles stood there with his mouth gaping a hand at the back of his neck.

"It was too real. I've been in both of your dreams before but this was different."

Stiles couldn't bear to see the fear the was taking control of Callie. Her hands were shaking and she shifted from one foot to another uneasily.  
Just then Scott walked up to them. A dark expression on his face. Callie threw her arms around Scott's neck holding back a sob.  
She could feel the name amount of fear she had radiating off of him.

"Guys we need to talk." He murmured.

"Dude we already know. Callie is one step ahead of you."

"Oh my God! I really killed her?" Scott yelped.

"No we don't know that! I was there... Sort of. It was like I was in your dream. Only this felt too real."

"I have to find Allison." Scott took off towards the front of the school.

"Scott its OK. Maybe it was just a dream and you and Callie are just freaking out from sharing it."

"We would've heard about it for sure if it had really happened. You know her dad would be raging if she was attacked or worse."  
Callie tried to reason with him.

The three of them emerged from the doors and froze. The parking lot was swarming with police cars and yellow caution tape.  
An ambulance sat next to a school bus that looked like it had been torn apart. Distinct red splatters covered the windows and swing door.  
Callie swallowed a hard lump in her throat.

"Scott what did you do?" She whispered.

All of the students were ushered into their classrooms once the bell rang.  
Callie didn't see how the school expected the students to focus on everyday work when there was a crime scene just outside the window.  
She sure as hell couldn't focus. Her pencil tapped against her notebooks anxiously and she always found herself looking out at the bloodied bus.  
Derek wouldn't be coming for his usual visits either with all of the police around.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Callie literally pounced on it and peeked at it in her jacket pocket.

"Allison is here. Not dead." The message from Scott said.

Callie sighed in relief. So the crazy vision of Scott had was just a dream. A dream that happened to be partially true.  
There was still a killer and there was still a victim, but who were they?"

"Look they're bringing out the body!" some kid yelled in the middle of the lesson.

All the students rushed over to the windows and crowded around for a chance to see.  
Callie's math teacher tried to get everyone back in their seats with little success.  
Two paramedics came from the back end of the bus wheeling a gurney.  
Strapped to it was a man who appeared to be cut and slashed in every direction.  
A blood curdling scream erupted from him making the whole class jump back at least a foot.  
Callie watched like a deer in headlights at the horrific sight.  
This was not an animal attack. This was something entirely different.

Stiles met Callie at a table outside during lunch. Scott quickly sat down with them and they huddled close to talk about the scene earlier.

"Did you guys see the bo-"

Callie was cut off as Lydia unexpectedly sat down across from her. She was followed by Allison, sat next to Scott, Jackson, and Danny.  
She looked at both Scott and Stiles, eyebrows raised in question. Stiles's mouthful of food dribbled onto his tray.  
Lydia gave him a disgusted look and turned to Callie.

"You know Callie I was wondering how do you get your eyeliner so perfect?"

"Uh, well I put on a lot. Like really thick."

Lydia flipped her hair in response and flashed her a smile. What was going on?

"Callie's an artist you know. So she's good at drawing lines and stuff." Stiles blurted out.

Callie kept herself from laughing at his attempt to make any type of conversation with Lydia. He had been madly in love with her since the third grade.  
Jackson glared at him and then sighed dejectedly.

"So did you guys see the guy?" Danny asked.

Everyone except for Callie, Scott, and Stiles got excited at the subject.

"Didn't an animal get him? Like a cougar?"

"It was a mountain lion." Jackson corrected sternly.

"Isn't a mountain lion a cougar?" Lydia piped up.

Callie looked at her in disbelief. How could she forget that Lydia always played it dumb.  
She had read the strawberry blonde's mind before to see if she thought of Louis Vuitton or Gucci more.  
It turned out the girl had the longest mathematical equations running in her brain.

"Whatever." Jackson brushed her off. "The guy was probably a hobo or some druggie."

"Nope. I just got the details on it right now." Stiles pushed his phone into the middle of the table.

"I know him. When I lived with my dad I would take the bus. He's the bus driver." Scott said.

Everyone was quiet at the somber information. The poor man had been savagely attacked and was in intensive care at the hospital.

"I'm so over talking about this. What are we going to do tonight?" Lydia changed the subject.

Callie had no idea what she was talking about and she noticed how awkward it was sitting with Danny next to her.

"Aren't you and Scott hanging out tonight?" she continued.

"Yeah we were just deciding what we were going to do." Allison slowly replied.

"Well if I have to stay at home and watch another lacrosse video I'm going to die. I want to do something."

Allison looked at Scott. She was at a loss for words and he didn't know what to say either.

"I know let's go bowling. Jackson is pretty good at bowling."

"I only like bowling when there's real competition." he groaned.

"How do you know we aren't real competition?" Allison challenged.

_"Oh no. Way to go challenging one jock against another." _Callie rolled her eyes as she thought to herself.

"Are you good at bowling Scott?" Lydia asked.

Scott started to say something but Jackson interrupted.

"Yes or no McCall." he huffed.

"Yes. I am great a bowling." Scott replied narrowing his eyes.

Callie wanted to slap herself on the forehead. She looked at Stiles and he already had a palm to his face.

"Great we'll see you at the bowling alley at 6 then." Lydia announced before getting up and skipping away with Jackson in tow.

Danny got up too and gave a small smile to Callie. She waved good bye and turned to Scott.

"Scott have you even been bowling before?"

"Once, like at a party."

"Yeah and you sucked! Scott why would you say that? It was like watching a car crash." Stiles exclaimed.

"It's ok Stiles. You don't have to worry about normal athletic competition like Scott does." Callie said and started walking to class.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean Callie? Callie what does it mean?" he chased after her and she laughed at his self-consciousness.

Callie rummaged in her locker for a sketchbook. The day was finally over.  
She couldn't wait to go home and get away from the deathly vibe of the school.  
As she closed her locker she found Scott's face where it once hung.

"Need something Scott?" Callie's intuition wasn't needed for this situation. She could always tell when him or Stiles was up to something.

"A huge favor." he replied.

"What is it?"

"I need to borrow your powers and your car."

"We're driving somewhere to get some secret information huh?"

"Exactly."

"Alright Scott. This plan better be full proof though." she warned. Callie had enough of close encounters with the law.

The law being Sheriff Stilinski.

"You're a saint Callie. Hopefully this will get us both some answers."

Fifteen minutes later they were on there way to the hospital. Callie never liked hospitals.  
Too much death. Too many heavy and depressing energies about.

"Scott you so owe me. You know how I hate being in hospitals."

"I know, I know. But you wanna know more about the vision right?"

He was true. Callie felt restless about not knowing why Scott had been in the vision and why she had it.  
If anyone knew it would be the bus driver.  
Scott had come up with the idea that maybe Callie could tap into his memories and they could see the attack through his eyes.  
This would tell them who the killer was.

The two of them entered the brightly lit lobby. Scott went over to his mom who was working the front desk.  
He had brought her some dinner as a bribe not only for the hospital access but for the car to impress Allison.  
Callie watched from a distance as Scott's mom's facial expression changed from delighted to annoyed.

"Looks like someone isn't getting the car." she laughed to herself.

Scott went over to her shaking his head in defeat.

"Oh boo hoo. Get to sniffing out the guy so we can get on with why we're actually here." she ruffled his hair.

He focused his senses for a second. Then he began to slowly make his way down a hallway.

"He's in here." Scott motioned to a dark room.

Callie nodded and followed him quickly. Her heart was racing from anxiety.  
A small room with ominous beeping machines and a ever present air of fear were not helping with her hospital phobia.  
The old bus driver lay in a bed, several tubes for breathing and monitoring his condition running up and down his body.  
Scott placed a hand on the man's arm and called to him gently.  
Callie took the short time for the hurt man to wake up to get into a psychic state.

"I'm Scott McCall. Do you remember me? I used to ride the bus.  
I'm sorry for what I'm going to ask you but you need to remember the night of the attack. Who attacked you?"

Callie flinched as she entered the man's mind. Flashes of sharp claws, blood, and horrible screams burned into her.  
Scott tried to calm down the bus driver the best he could but the man was going into hysterics.  
Callie fought against his frantic mind, delving deeper into the memory.

"What are you doing in here? Get out!"

Mrs. McCall had found them in the room. She forcefully pushed out Scott and Callie before closing the door to give the man privacy.  
Scott grabbed Callie's wrist and guided her back to her car. She was clutching her head, eyes wide open.  
He finally noticed the fear in her purple eyes.

"Callie are you ok? What did you see?"

She was silent, clearly shaken by the whole memory. Scott grew impatient and shook her shoulders.  
Callie snapped out of her daze and combed her fingers through her maroon locks.  
A sigh escaped her lips and she rubbed her arms for comfort.

"Something big. Huge claws. Huge teeth. Blood red eyes."

"It wasn't me?"

"No. Not you that's for sure. It was so brutal. Definitely had evil and power pouring off of it."

"You couldn't see if it was a person?"

"It wasn't a person Scott. But it wasn't a wild animal either. I think it was a werewolf."

Scott kicked at the ground angrily.

"We need more answers!" he yelled in frustration.

"Why don't we investigate the bus ourselves? We got this far with just a witness. Time to see the scene of the crime.  
Maybe you'll remember it by sense or something."

Callie watched as Scott took in her idea and relaxed a bit. He jumped into the car and pulled out his phone.

"Meet up at the school. We're gonna check out the bus."

Scott hung up ending the short conversation with Stiles. He nodded to Callie and she sped off towards their school.

"Why am I always the look out?" Stiles complained as he pointed a flashlight at the gate.

Scott easily scaled it and landed on the other side. Callie followed him with less gracefulness and landed hard next to him.

"Because you have neither wolf like senses or the ability to have premonitions." Callie taunted him.

Stiles rolled his eyes and dejectedly threw his hands up.

"Hang out Stiles. We'll be back soon." she said before running to catch up with Scott.

He was already in the bus, carefully examining every detail.  
Callie hovered just behind him waiting for him to say something. But he remained quiet as he focused on the scene.  
Callie nervously tugged on her hoodie sleeves as parts of the bus driver's memory came into her mind.  
Since Scott wasn't saying anything she took it into her own hands to find out what was going on.  
The purple glow from her eyes dimly lit the bus. Callie entered Scott's mind.  
As he went further into the bus the flashbacks of the attack grew stronger.  
First was the driver being dragged by an unknown force. Then Scott was trying to get him away from the attacker.  
Blood was everywhere. A hideous roar deafened Callie. There was the beast she had seen from the man's memory.  
A giant, menacing werewolf with razor sharp claws and equally terrifying teeth. It's red eyes burned themselves into Callie's.

She jolted back to reality as Scott put a hand on her's which was gripping a seat tightly.

"What the hell is it?"

"I don't know. But I do know someone who does."

Loud honking made them jump. Stiles was waving out the Jeep window and honking its horn.  
Callie and Scott bolted out of the bus and back to their car just on the other side of the fence.  
Scott gave Callie a boost over the gate, nearly throwing her over it.  
Both of them jumped in and Callie reversed out of the drive way.

"We need to go to Derek." Scott panted.

Callie's heart stopped for a second. She hadn't seen or talked to Derek since that weekend.  
She thought about the two nights he had spent at her house more for her sake than his own.

"Scott have you forgotten about the bowling disaster date you so stupidly agreed to?"

Scott groaned and slapped his forehead.

"I hope your dressed well enough because it's time to get Allison and get over there."

"No you're not driving us there!" he protested.

"Hey there's no time. Plus you owe me one with the whole hospital thing. I won't make it too embarrassing for you."

After what Callie would call a lovely and pleasant drive to the bowling alley with Allison and Scott she found herself not wanting to go home.  
Stiles was in the middle of one of his research binges and she didn't want to sit through all of his conspiracy theories.  
Lately he had been chatting her ears off with new facts he was learning about werewolves and a lot more on the details of the recent attacks.  
She only worked on the weekends at the dance studio so that wasn't an option either.  
Without anywhere else she could think of going Callie drove home disappointed.

Callie walked in through her front door. The living room was dimly lit by the glow of the television screen.  
A show about custom cars was on, her dad was sitting on the couch drinking as usual.

"Marie is that you?" he called.

"Nope. Just me Dad." Callie answered back as she approached the stairs.

"Eh good enough. Make me something to eat will ya!" he ordered.

Callie sighed and retreated into the kitchen. There wasn't much in the fridge.  
She guessed he had ate all the leftovers from the dinner she made the night before.  
Whipping up a turkey sandwich in no time at all Callie took it over to her dad.  
He didn't acknowledge her and took the plate of food without so much as a nod.

"You know Dad, the first progress report for school is coming soon. I'm doing pretty good. I have all A's right now."

"Yeah, yeah. That's great. Quit talking I can't hear what they're sayin' on the tv."

Callie's heart sunk to new depths. She stood behind the couch for a few moments.  
She had the same eye shape and face shape as her dad. But that was about all they shared.  
Things were never that close between her and her parents and it only got more distant when she turned thirteen.  
Callie hadn't figured out why and she guessed she would never know.

She turned and sadly went up the stairs to her room. She dropped her stuff and went over to sit on her window seat.  
Her phone rang and she fished it out of her pocket.

"Derek?"

"Good job getting all A's."

Callie peered out into the street and saw the familiar black Camaro parked by her house.

"You were listening to me? Not creepy at all."

He was silent. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was in the area."

"Sure." Callie said sarcastically.

"Are you doing anything?"

"Uh, no."

"Good. Come with me."

"Why?"

"Because you aren't doing anything and I'm not doing anything."

"Are you asking me out on a date Derek?"

Callie giggled to herself as she imagined Derek's face. He normal brood was probably even colder.

"It's whatever you want it to be. Get down here."

"Wow well aren't you romantic. I'll be down in a second."

Callie hung up the phone and went over to her vanity. She brushed her hair quickly and retouched her eyeliner.  
A few sprays of perfume and she was good to go.

"Wait why am I trying to look and smell better? He said it wasn't a date."

_"It's whatever you want it to be."_ What did she want it to be?

Derek pushed open the door for her and she sat down. Derek was kind of disappointed she put on perfume. He liked her natural scent better.

"Hi." her bright voice broke through the air.

"Hey." was all he could say back.

"So where are we going?"

"This place by my house I want to show you."

"So we're hiking?"

"If you're ok with that."

Callie smiled. "Yeah I'm good with that."

On the way there Callie messed with Derek's stereo, programming radio stations she liked.  
She sang along with some of the songs and watched the town fade into forest.  
Derek was happy she felt so comfortable with him. He had only one experience like this and it had not ended well at all.  
Hopefully things would be different this time.

Derek parked his car on the side of the house. He got out before Callie and went to her side to open the door.

"Such a gentleman as always." she teased.

The sun was still high enough in the sky for the forest to be well lit. It would be a few more hours until it got dark.  
Callie tied the laces on her Converses a little tighter. Derek took her hand and started to guide her into the trees.  
The fallen leaves crunched under their footsteps and birds darted over their heads.  
Derek's hand was warm compared to the cool forest air around them.  
Callie didn't know how long they had been holding hands but it didn't bother her.  
They were past being strangers. Derek talked to her almost everyday, either by visiting her or texts.  
He knew so much about her and she was slowly learning more about him. As much as he would let her at least.  
Lost in her thoughts, Callie wasn't aware of the large rock in her path. She tripped over it and and fell into Derek's strong back.  
Her arms instinctively wrapped around his middle and their legs tangled up into each others.  
Derek's wolf like reflexes caught her and stopped them from falling to the floor.  
She looked up at him gratefully, her purple eyes bright with embarrassment.

"Why is it that you are always needing me to catch you?" he asked.

"Sorry. At least you're pretty strong." she laughed.

Derek couldn't help but smile at her light heartedness. He brushed back her long bangs from her eyes and took her small hand again.

"It's not far from here... the place I want to show you."

"Good. For a while I was thinking you just wanted to trick me into coming deep into the forest so you could kidnap me or something."

"At least you didn't think I was trying to kill you unlike your idiot friends."

"I wouldn't accuse you. You aren't the murderer type anyways."

Derek looked at her in surprise. He didn't look like the murderer type? His entire wardrobe consisted of only black and leather.  
Everywhere he went he got dirty looks because people thought he was up to something devious.

"You really think that?"

"Yeah. You've done nothing but help me and protect me. Plus I don't get a weird vibe from you. I trust you Derek."

His chest tightened at her words. If there was one person in the world that made him happy it was Callie.

The forest started to open up into a meadow. The trees began to fan out into a circular shape and soft grass covered the ground.  
There were berry bushes scattered around the clearing. But right in the middle of it was something Callie had never seen before.  
A extremely large and old tree sat in the middle of the meadow. It's bark was twisted into intricate patters and it's branches offered key climbing spots.  
Callie let go of Derek's hand and wandered a bit ahead of him. She had never seen a place so beautiful or peaceful.  
She turned back to face him, her eyes shining bright with happiness.

"This place is amazing." she nearly whispered.

Derek walked to where she was and stood close to her. He scratched the back of his neck not sure what to do.

"Yeah. I thought you would like to see it."

Callie went over to the tree's base and put a hand on its rough bark. She traced some of the lines and looked up into it's leaves.

"Climb the tree with me." she pleaded.

"Why do you want to climb it?"

"Why not." she quirked an eyebrow at him playfully.

"No. I'll stay down here in case I need to catch you again."

Callie pouted her lip out. Then she grabbed onto a lower branch and hauled herself up into the tree.  
She disappeared from Derek's sight. The branches of the old tree shook and a few leaves rained down on him.  
Then everything was still. Callie threw an acorn towards his head.

"Catch!" she yelled out.

"Ow!" Derek growled as the nut hit his shoulder.

He could hear Callie's laughter and he leaned against the tree's wide trunk.  
When he looked up he could see Callie balancing herself between two branches. Her wide smile clearly visible from where he was.

"We should do this more often."

"Do what?" he asked.

"Hang out. Go eat food. See a movie. Or is that too normal for a werewolf lifestyle?"

"I haven't done that sort of stuff in a long time."

His voice was so filled with memory that Callie felt bad for teasing him.

"Going out on dates and stuff isn't like a test. Just do what feels right. I don't have much experience with all of it either."

Callie's smile reassured him as he looked up at her warm face high in the branches.  
Her eyes suddenly went from his to out into the forest. She was intently searching for something.  
Derek followed her gaze to the trees, catching movement.  
Callie had quietly slithered her way down the tree and was standing next to him. She held her breath waiting for whatever it was to come out.  
A slender leg appeared into the lighted meadow. A doe timidly stepped into the grassy clearing.  
Its large eyes and eyes scanned the area and carefully looked over Callie and Derek.  
Another smile appeared on Callie's face and she motioned for Derek to be quiet and not move.  
Slowly she crept closer and closer to the doe. She held a steady gaze with it.  
When she finally got to an arm length away the doe pulled back it's head and dashed off back into the woods.  
Callie's shoulders dropped and she put her hands on her hips. She turned around to find Derek directly behind her.

"You scared it away." she said dismayed.

Callie held back what she was going to say next. Derek was looking at her with such tender eyes it made her heart nearly stop.

"Do you like deer?"

"They're really pretty. Even the bucks. I draw them a lot because of the antlers."

Derek nodded his head slowly and stepped towards her. Closing all of the space between them.  
Callie was confused and her eyebrows knitted together as Derek cupped her chin in his hand.  
He tilted her head up to his and leaned in. Their lips met in a gentle kiss.  
Callie's mind went blank. All she could focus on was the warm sensation between her and Derek. Everything felt perfect.  
As he started pulling away Callie rocked onto her tip toes. She pressed her lips against his deepening the kiss.  
A moment later Derek broke the kiss. He dropped his eyes to the floor and turned away.  
Again Callie was left confused. She bit her lip, savoring the taste.

"We should get going. It's going to be dark soon." Derek said.

The walk back to the Derek's house was silent.  
Callie waited for him to say something. He was acting as if the kiss had never happened or nothing had happened between them.  
Frantic thoughts raced through her mind. Had she done something wrong?  
The kiss was so perfect. Did she make him uncomfortable when she went in for a second?  
What was his problem anyway? He made it seem like he wanted to get close to her and when they do he pushes her away.

"Derek!" an angry voice entered Callie's thoughts.

Scott was pacing in front of Derek's house. His eyes flashed gold and his hands were clenched into tight fists.

"Scott what are you doing here?" she called out.

"Callie? What the hell are you doing with him?" Scott snarled.

"Just talking. It's fine. Nothing happened."

"Its not fine. He killed the bus driver!"

"We've been in the woods for hours Scott. How could I have done that?" Derek replied in an oddly calm manner.

"The bus driver is dead?" Callie's voice shook.

"Stiles called me earlier. Derek I know you did it!"

"Scott calm down!" she begged him.

"No!" Scott screamed and charged straight at Derek.

Derek cracked his neck and easily shifted into his wolf form. He pushed Callie back and a roar teared from his lips.  
He threw out an arm and stopped Scott in his tracks. Then Derek sent him sailing through the air.  
Scott crashed into the door of the Hale house and tumbled into the living room.  
Callie chased after Derek as he went in to fight. Deep growls came from both of them as they grappled.  
Scott threw punches at Derek who dodged them effortlessly. He swiftly kicked Scott and the boy crumpled to the floor.  
Derek grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head into the weak floor boards several times.  
Callie hid in the door way. She had never seen either of them in their shifted states.  
Scott's face was still his although his cheeks were covered in hair and his teeth changed into fangs.  
While Scott looked human, Derek looked animal. He looked like a deadly wild animal.  
His blue eyes burning like a cold fire.  
The longer they fought the more damage they did to each other and the house.  
Callie couldn't take it anymore. She let her frustration and fear flow through her.

"Stop it! You're both being stupid!" she screamed.

Scott and Derek flew away from each other with such force they collided with the walls.  
Callie could often channel her feelings to give her abilities an extra boost. She had stopped doing it for some time though.  
When she had first discovered how her emotions could effect her abilities she went overboard with throwing things at kids she didn't like.

The two werewolves stood up, breathing heavily. They glared at each other and then ran towards the other, claws out and ready.  
Callie tightened her jaws and forced them apart with the same aggressive force again.

"Can you just stop already? Scott, Derek didn't kill the bus driver. Derek, just tell Scott what you want to tell him. Yes I know you have something to tell him. I can't read you mind but I can see there is something you're hiding from us."

Derek shot her a look. Neither of them relaxed their stances but they didn't try to fight again.

"You ruined my life!" Scott yelled at him.

Derek shook his head and laughed. "I didn't bite you. This is a gift Scott. You'll see that one day."

"What are you talking about Derek?" Callie didn't like where this was going.

"There's an alpha. He bit Scott and he's the one killing. My sister was looking for him and that's why she was here. Now I'm looking for him."

"What does this have to do with me?" Scott was getting angry again.

"Because Scott, you're part of his pack. Those nights when you wake up somewhere you don't remember going to. He's the one calling you out.  
He can control you. This means that you could lead me to him."

"I won't help you!" Scott protested.

"Yes you will. You need me Scott. You need me to teach you how to fight him how to deal with the full moons how to protect that girl you like so much."

Callie looked at Scott. She knew Derek was right. Scott needed help with being a werewolf.  
Her and Stiles could only do so much with internet research.  
Scott groaned in frustration.

"Fine." he muttered and he grabbed Callie's wrist.

"Scott! Ow! Let go!"

Callie looked back at the Hale house. She couldn't see Derek anywhere. But the same electric tingle was there.  
He was letting her go.

"Bye." she whispered to him. "Thanks for taking me to the spot."

"Why do you even go near Derek?" Scott demanded.

He had dragged her to the forest road and now they were walking side by side.

"I don't know. I just can't stay away from him."

Scott scoffed. "What's the real reason?"

"That is the real reason. When Derek is around me I feel safe. I feel complete. And when he leaves I feel this force tugging on me.  
Like we magnets or something."

"Please stay away from him Callie. Just this one time listen to me."

"Scott you don't need to watch out for me. I can handle myself. I'm the one who's supposed to be looking out for you."

When Callie got back to her room it was late. She kicked off her shoes and went straight into her bathroom.  
She let the warm water from the shower flow over her exhausted body. Her head hung down and her arms supporting her on the tiled wall.  
What had started out as a fun and near perfect outing turned into another confusing and frustrating night.  
Hot tears fell down Callie's cheeks. Normally she tried to hold them back but she was too emotionally damaged to care.

As she lay in bed, the sweet moment she had shared with Derek played in her mind.  
She lightly traced her lips as she remembered how gentle his kiss was, the soft look in his blue eyes.  
The kiss had sealed so many things for Callie. It was everything she could ever have wanted and more.  
She had feelings for Derek. Feelings she wasn't afraid to admit anymore.  
But did he feel the same way?

Callie exhaled as she felt the paintbrush slide over the canvas. Art class was the only place she could really relax.  
She bobbed her head to the beat of the song she was listening to. Today she was working on a music inspired piece for class.  
A tug only she could feel pulled her attention to the window. There was Derek, leaning against his car.  
Callie sighed and combed her hair with her fingers. He visited her everyday this week.  
She ignored him each time. Callie couldn't forget how pathetic he made her feel when he acted as if their time in the woods never happened.  
If he was going to act like she didn't exist she could do the same thing.  
Callie could feel his stare grow more intense with each passing moment. It was distracting her from her work.  
Reluctantly she turned to face him. Derek motioned for her to leave the class room. She gave him a death stare and returned to painting.  
Her phone vibrated.

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"You know why." she angrily typed in.

"Please."

"Go away!"

That was the last thing she texted him. Callie put her phone on silent and didn't look out the window again.  
The bell rang for the end of class. Callie cleaned her station and put her brushes and paints away.  
Now it was her free period and she needed to find Stiles.

He was in the library sitting by himself with a large stack of books.

"Studying are we?" Callie greeted him.

"Not anymore. None of these books have any werewolf facts."

"Looking up stuff on the alpha?"

"Yeah. If what Derek told you and Scott is true than we need to get a plan going."

"Speaking of Derek... I need to talk to you about something."

"What's up?"

"Stiles you know what its like to like someone and not have them like you back."

"Ouch. Sadly yes."

"Well... I like Derek. And we kissed. But right after he acted like nothing had happened." Callie blurted out.

"You kissed Derek!"

Callie slammed a hand onto his mouth.

"Shut up Stiles! Loud much?" she hissed at him

Stiles pushed her off and straightened out his shirt.

"Yeah. We kissed. It was awesome. He pretty much ignored me afterwards. And now he keeps coming here trying to talk to me."

"Derek comes here? To the school?"

"Stiles I just said that. Don't tell Scott though. He's already mad that I hang out with Derek."

"So do you like him?"

Callie hesitated for a second. "Yeah. I like Derek."

She finally had said it out loud. The words sounded so strange to her.

"Well then tell him. I mean I've never told Lydia and look how far I've gotten.  
Sure it's all part of my ten year plan to get her but I'm thinking you don't have ten years to get Derek."

Callie threw her arms around Stiles and hugged him tightly.

"That has got to be the smartest thing you've ever said." she laughed.

"Ouch again. And thanks I guess." Stiles returned the hug.

Callie rubbed her neck and sighed. She had been acting like such a teenage girl with this whole Derek thing.

"What would I do without you Stiles?"

"Life would be a whole lot more boring that's for sure. Now help me find something about werewolf alphas."

Callie pulled the nearest book to her and hunkered down her friend.

Later that night, Callie stayed up late. Her and Stiles hadn't made a lot of progress on finding out about the alpha.  
So she decided to do some research on her own. Her laptop whirred quietly on her lap as she poured over countless sites.  
During her investigating she found a local Pagan book store in a town close by. She saved the address thinking it would be a good place to visit.  
Somewhere in between learning about werewolf packs and worrying about Derek Callie fell into a deep sleep.

She was in the city. It was pitch black except for the areas that were lit by street lights. Callie was looking through the eyes of someone else.  
Another one of Scott's dreams she guessed. Now she was running following a path. A dark shape ran ahead of her.  
So it was a chase. She leapt across buildings and sprinted after whoever it was. Suddenly a searing hot, sharp pain stabbed into her arm.

Callie gasped in pain as she jolted up into sitting position. She was still at home in her bed.  
Her arm felt like it was on fire. But when she looked down at it there was nothing wrong.  
Callie rubbed the skin on her lower arm where the pain slowly ebbed away. She flinched a little since the skin was sensitive.  
Falling back against the pillows Callie silently cursed Scott. Why couldn't he have normal dreams?  
Even a gross, lovey dovey dream about Allison would be better than these weird visions.

Callie didn't see Scott till the end of school the next day. He had been spending all of his time studying with Allison according to Stiles.  
She doubted they were studying anything than each other.

"Scott! What kind of crack do you do before you sleep?"

"What are you talking about Callie?"

"I was in another one of your dreams. You were in the city and then it felt like you got shot in the arm. I woke up with the worst pain of my life!"

Scott looked worried and his forehead creased.

"Callie that wasn't a dream. That happened last night. The alpha called me out and I ended up in the city. I saw Derek chasing him.  
Then there was this loud gunshot and I think Derek got hit. When I went to find him he wasn't there."

Callie stood there frozen and wide eyed. Her heart which had been beating a mile a minute was not stuttering.  
Derek had been shot. She had been seeing the vision through Derek's eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:~ Thanks so much for all the follows and reviews! Special shout out to xXwritteninthestarsXx, Night Whisperer, and Piper!  
Not that i'm playing favorites but these readers put so much into their reviews!  
I just wanted to say thanks the feedback helps me a lot and I'm so glad you are really enjoying this story! :D  
Also I want you all to know that I will be writing all the way up into Season 3 so there will be a sequel and a 3-quel!  
Ok now that that's out of the way onto Chapter 6!**

* * *

"You don't know where Derek went?" Callie literally screamed at Scott.

"No, he was gone. I'm sorry."

Callie was beginning to panic. This was all too much. She finally admits to herself and the world that she indeed had feelings for  
the dark and mysterious Derek only to find out that he's been shot.

"His arm is hurt so I guess we sort of know that he isn't dead." she sighed.

"Yeah this is going to make you really mad. The hunter who shot him was Kate Argent, Allison's aunt.  
I heard her say something about 48 hours was all he had." Scott's voice trailed off.

"What? That isn't ominous or anything Scott! We have to find him!"

Furious honking caught their attention. There was a line of cars waiting to get out of the parking lot.  
Stiles's Jeep was at the front of the line. He was waving desperately at them.  
Callie quickly looked at Scott, concern already in her eyes. The two of them jogged over to Stiles who was at the font of his car.

Derek was staggering right before Callie's eyes. He was extremely pale and breathing heavily.  
Suddenly he began to collapse, but Scott caught him just in time.

"What do we do with him?" Stiles yelped.

"He needs help." Callie was on the verge of tears.

"Why are you here?" Scott questioned Derek.

Derek unsteadily rose to his feet and leaned against the hood. More angry honking filled the air.  
People began to get out of their cars to see what was going on. Callie was not prepared to explain this to anyone.

"We don't have time for interrogations. Get Derek in the car." Callie ordered.

She took Derek's arm and quickly helped him into the backseat of Stiles's Jeep. Then she turned to Scott and Stiles.  
Scott was glaring at Derek through the windshield and Stiles had his usual flustered expression.

"Scott take my car. Go to Allison's house like you planned. Find the bullet that Kate used."

"How is that going to help?" he cut her off abruptly.

Callie shook her head and growled. "Do you even need to ask me how I know it's going to help? Just go already!"

She yanked her keys out of her bag and threw them at him.

"Keep your phone on you. We'll take care of Derek. You get the bullet. We'll figure the rest of the plan out as it happens."

Callie pushed Stiles into the driver's seat and ran around to other side of the car.  
When they finally got out of the school parking lot, Callie was relieved to see that Scott had left too.  
Stiles kept looking from Callie to Derek in the backseat and then back to Callie.  
She was getting annoyed by his behavior. Of course she was panicking too but this time it was different.  
Instead of it being one of Scott's or Stiles's plans in action, it was all her.  
And Derek's life was riding on her decisions.

"Will you just watch the road Stiles!" she snapped at him.

"Sorry! It's just there's a freaking bleeding werewolf in my car!"

Callie could feel Derek's glare burning at her and Stiles. She unbuckled herself and climbed over the divider to the back.

"I'll take care of it Stiles. Just drive somewhere safe."

Derek had pushed himself closer to the window to make room for her. Callie could feel the pain pouring off of him in waves.  
They locked eyes for a moment. Callie's heart stopped. She had so much to tell him but it would have to wait.  
Now wasn't exactly the best time to confess the unrequited love you had for a werewolf who looked like they were about to bite your head off. Carefully, she pulled up his sleeve to reveal the gunshot wound. Callie gasped at the sight.  
There was a lot of blood dripping down his forearm and a gory black hole right below his elbow.  
The wound looked like it was infected and thick black veins spread out around it.

"Is it supposed to look like this?"

"What do you think?" he snarled.

"Calm down. Stupid question, sorry. How bad does it hurt?"

"Do you always ask stupid questions?"

Now it was Callie's turn to glare at him. Derek was being as difficult as ever.  
She gingerly ran her fingers around the wound, watching his face. Derek gritted his teeth and growled in pain loudly.

"Wow I barely touched you. Ok that's like a fifteen on a scale of one to ten."

"Are you really joking right now? Stiles where are you taking me?" he demanded.

"Your house."

"No we can't go there. I'm still under surveillance thanks to you guys."

"Where else are we supposed to go then?" Stiles angrily replied.

"I don't know!" Derek argued.

Stiles pulled over to the side of the road and the car jolted violently when he slammed on the brakes.

"Look I wouldn't be yelling. We're the ones who are helping you! We could easily just leave you to die.  
Yeah maybe I'll just do that. You don't scare me Hale." Stiles threatened him.

Derek barred his teeth. "If you don't start driving I will rip your heart out of your chest with my claws."

Stiles's green eyes widened and he looked at Callie. She was at her limit with these two.

"Both of you shut up! This isn't going to help anything and it definitely isn't helping me concentrate! Stiles drive to my house now."

The car started up again and Callie readjusted herself on the seat. She took Derek's arm again and held it tightly at the elbow.  
He cried out in pain and struggled to get away from her. She held on tightly and looked directly in his eyes.

"Last night I had a dream. I was running through the city chasing a large figure. The worst pain I had ever felt shot through my arm.  
I wasn't dreaming. I was having a vision of you. It means we're connected Derek. So if that's true I can get into your mind just like I can with Scott and Stiles. But you have to let me. I'm going to try to ease the pain until we can do something about the bullet."

Derek held a hard gaze with her. Callie could tell he was unsure about letting her into his subconcious.  
She honestly didn't know if she could do it either. When she tried to read Derek's mind it was a lot more difficult than anyone else.  
There were more twists and turns in his personal labyrinth while everyone else was pretty straight forward.

"I'm not going to dig around. I'm just going to find the pain."

He finally nodded and Callie gave him a reassuring smile. She closed her eyes and cleared her own mind first.  
Slowing her heart she entered a psychic state. She opened her eyes once she was far enough in.  
The brightness of glow surprised Derek. He wasn't ready for whatever she was going to do.

"Don't fight me. Relax. Breathe. You're fine." she whispered.

Derek couldn't see how that was possible. He tried to keep his thoughts slow but they were racing with the idea of someone  
getting into his head. He started to build up walls around memories he didn't want seen.

"Derek the more you think about stuff you don't want me to see the more they come up. Just focus on the pain."

Callie narrowed her eyes and tried to avoid the memories that Derek unfortunately were bringing up for her.  
She didn't want to intrude on him but he wasn't exactly making it easy.  
Glimpses of memories would flash before her. Most of them unpleasant and tragic.  
Callie's heart broke for him. He had gone through too much for just one person.  
But finally he was beginning to relax and do as she instructed.

Stiles glanced towards the back seat in the rear view mirror. It was oddly quiet now.  
He saw Callie with her hands on Derek's arm, eyes blazing with purple fire.  
"Are they having a freaking seance back there?" he thought to himself.  
He didn't like the way Derek was looking. Not only was the man pale and clammy but he was watching Callie like he wanted to eat her.  
Or at least, that's how it appeared to Stiles. He didn't know much about emotions and all that.  
All he did know was the Callie was in love with Derek and he wasn't so sure Derek was the safest guy to be around.

They came up to Callie's house and Stiles parked the Jeep. He jumped out and opened the door for Callie.  
Her eyes dimmed as she came out of her state. She looked exhausted for having to push so hard into Derek.  
She slid off the seat and put Derek's good arm around Stiles's shoulders.  
Stiles stumbled a little, trying to hold up Derek who was quickly becoming dead weight.  
He followed Callie to the front door. She reached into her bag instinctively for her keys.  
She quietly cursed realizing she had given Scott her keys. In a flash she grabbed a rock which wasn't a rock at all.  
A sly smile crept onto her face as she pulled out a hidden key.

"Well that makes getting into your house easier. I don't have to climb through the window anymore." Stiles smirked.

Callie led them into the kitchen and Stiles dropped Derek into a chair.  
She was getting worried. Derek was getting worse by the minute. A layer of sweat coated his face and he was cold to the touch.

"Stiles find out where Scott it with getting the bullet." she said.

He nodded and wandered into the living room. There was more room to pace.  
Callie grabbed a towel and soaked it in water. She went over to Derek and started to wipe his face.  
For the first time, Callie noticed a hint of fear in Derek's blue eyes.  
She continued to wipe his face and neck while stroking his sweaty hair for comfort.  
He gripped her wrist and held her hand to his cheek. His eyes closed and Callie could feel his heart beating rapidly.

"I don't want to die." he admitted quietly.

She had barely heard him but it wrenched at her heart. This was all too much.

"You're not going to die. I'm not going to let you."

"It's getting worse." he whispered.

Callie didn't need to be told this to know it was true. She left his side for a moment to get a fresh towel to clean the wound.  
A look of relief came over Derek as the cool water touched his skin.

"It actually hurt less when you were doing whatever it was in the car."

"Really? That's good." Callie kept her eyes on his arm.

She didn't want to give Derek the slightest hint that while she was taking away his pain it was transferring to her.  
He would be mad that she was suffering for him.  
Stiles cautiously approached them. One reason being Derek was pretty unstable.  
The other being he felt like he was walking in to some heavy romantic stuff.

"What did Scott say?" Callie glanced at him.

"He needs more time."

"I don't have time." Derek snarled.

"Obviously. But it can't be easy trying to sneak around a house full of hunters who would kill him when they find out he's a werewolf!"

"Stiles calm down. I think we're ok for now. Look I'm going to draw a line on Derek's arm. If this black stuff spreads past in the next thirty minutes  
then we can worry. I see this all the time on those doctor shows." Callie suggested.

"You're really using tv to try and help me? Great, I thought you were the smart one of the group." Derek sighed.

"You got a better idea then?" she challenged.

"Yeah. Hopefully Scott comes through and it won't get to that point."

Callie was starting to get very anxious as the time went on. Stiles had been trying to reach Scott for the last couple hours.  
They kept getting the same response every time. "Need more time."  
Derek didn't have more time. He was burning up yet his skin was cold and clammy to the touch.  
His eyes were having trouble focusing and he could barely hold himself up.  
Another factor that wasn't on their side was that one of Callie's parents were bound to come home soon.  
She would be in for a world of punishment when they found a dying man in their kitchen.

"We need to do something." she pleaded with Stiles.

He was just as anxious and at a loss for words. A hand ran over his buzzed hair as he tried to come up with a plan.  
Suddenly his phone rang and Stiles scrambled to put it to his ear.

"Scott! Did you get it? What? Take him to the animal clinic? How is that going to... Fine we'll meet you there."

He hung up the phone and quickly went to Callie and Derek in the kitchen.

"All right, up and at 'em. Scott says to go to the animal clinic. There's a back entrance we can get in from."

Callie helped Stiles carry Derek to the Jeep and within seconds they were speeding through the streets.  
She sat with Derek in the backseat this time trying to keep him awake and conscious.

"Derek stay awake. If you pass out we're not going to know how to fix you."

"Derek listen to me. Stay awake. Just keep looking at me so I know you're awake."

"Derek what color is the sky?"

"Stop asking me questions like you're an EMT or something." he grumbled.

Callie smiled and held him closer to her.

"At least you're still difficult as ever." she laughed to herself.

Derek was to physically exhausted to do anything about how close she was to him. She had put his head on her shoulder and was holding him up.  
He didn't like having to be supported like this. He was the guy if anything he was supposed to be holding her like that.  
But he couldn't deny liking the way she stroked his hair or how her scent filled his lungs.  
If he was going to die it would be peaceful as he listened to her heart beat.  
Her heart beat was fast though. She was scared. Scared for him of all things.  
This made Derek both happy and angry. Happy she felt anything for him and angry that she was having to go through all of this.

They pulled up to the clinic and Stiles hurried over to a metal garage door. He had a pair of bolt cutters in his hands.  
Callie dragged Derek out of the Jeep and helped him lean against the car.  
There was a metal thunk and Stiles pulled up the door. Derek stumbled his way in without any help and collapsed onto a pile of bagged dog food.  
Callie pulled him up and hurried into one of the operating rooms. The entire building was silent so she guessed Deaton had gone home already.

Derek rummaged around in various drawers, looking intently for something. Callie's eyes wandered as she searched for anything useful.  
Stiles paced back and forth in front of the door, still trying to contact Scott.  
Derek slammed something down onto the metal table in the center of the room making both of them jump.

"What is that?" Callie stammered.

"Remember when you asked me if I had a better idea. This is it?"

"You want to cut off your arm?" Stiles exclaimed.

Derek began to pull off his shirt and Callie rushed over to him.

"No Derek that's crazy! Scott will be here."

"The infection is spreading Callie! If it gets to my heart I'll die." he yelled at her.

Sure enough the black veins had spread even more from the wound. They wove their way up his arm in disgusting patterns just reaching his shoulder.  
Callie closed her eyes and bit her lip. Wasn't Derek supposed to be healing? What would she do if he died?

"Fine." was all she said as she grabbed a rubber tourniquet from a drawer.

"Callie what are you doing? You can't cut off his arm!" Stiles put his hands on her shoulders.

"I can't let him die!" she had tears in her eyes.

"Stiles do it then." Derek commanded.

"I can't! Cutting off your arm would mean cutting through the flesh... and not to mention the bone..." he shivered in disgust.

Callie tightly secured the tourniquet on Derek's arm. She dropped her eyes to his hand which was wrapped around hers.  
When she looked into his eyes, he gave her a reassuring nod. Callie bit her lip and picked up the small saw on the table.  
She tested it out and the blade whirred with deadly speed.  
Derek held out his injured arm and Callie lined up the blade. Stiles turned away from the sight.

"Oh Jesus." he muttered, feeling nauseous.

"I got it!" Scott's voice rang out.

Callie dropped the saw and spun around. Derek jumped off the table and grabbed the small metal object from Scott's hands.

"What are you going to do with it?" Scott panted.

"I'm gonna..." Derek's words slurred as he passed out. His body crumpled to the floor.

Callie shrieked and fell to her knees next to him.

"Oh man is he dead? I think he's dead!" Stiles freaked out.

"Scott where's the bullet?" Callie cried.

"I don't know it fell!" Scott was crawling on the floor.

"Stiles help him!"

The boy left her side and disappeared around the other side of the table.  
Callie couldn't stop the tears that had been gathering in her eyes. She pulled Derek's head into her lap.  
Her mind raced with everything she wanted to say to him and everything she needed to do to save him.

"Derek wake up. Don't leave me. I need you to wake up." she whispered.

Callie tried shaking him and lightly slapping his cheeks. His eyes were still shut closed and his pulse barely there.

"Come on Derek. Don't do this to me. I love you ok. I love you."

Still no response. She had just confessed her true feelings and he was out cold.  
Callie reacted by doing the only thing she could think of.  
She pressed her lips against his and hoped this wasn't the last time she was going to see him.  
The world felt like it was standing still. Her entire body was numb and all she could feel was the warmth on her lips.  
To her surprise she felt the kiss returned, a light pressure against her lips.  
A hand found it's way into her hair and Callie held onto the arm that followed it.  
When she broke away from Derek she found his eyes staring up into hers.  
There was no life or death situation. No missing bullet that could cure him.  
It was just her and Derek.  
He reached up to wipe the stray tears that stained her cheeks.

Scott and Stiles came running back to the two of them. Scott pulled up Derek from Callie's lap and broke the moment.  
He shoved the bullet into Derek's hand. The three of them were watching him now.  
Derek bit the end of it and poured out a strange black powder. He brought a lighter out of his pocket and sparked the powder.  
There was a small combustion and a blue smoke rose from the pile. Derek took a handful of the powder and shoved it into his wound.  
Callie flinched at imagining the pain and Derek's groans matched the ones in her head.  
He collapsed to the floor again and writhed in agony. Callie stood by him, eyes wide with fear and worry.  
After a few minutes Derek grew quiet and the wound healed up.  
Stiles and Scott helped him up and he pulled his shirt over head and shrugged on his leather jacket.

Callie just watched them in astonishment. Derek just literally came back from a near death experience and he was acting like it was normal.

"Ok we helped you Derek. Now leave us alone! All of us! I don't want you bringing all of this into our lives anymore." Scott yelled at him.

"You think I'm doing this? Scott this is your life now. Hunters. Alphas. Killing. Its all part of being a werewolf."

"Well what if I don't want it? I bet they don't want it either." Scott pointed towards Callie and Stiles.

Derek stared at Scott for a moment and shifted his eyes to Callie. His expression softened but quickly returned to its usual scowl.

"Come with me. I need to show you something." he motioned to Scott.

"Wait! Derek you need to rest. There's no way that your in perfect health." Callie tried to stop them.

"I'm fine. Trust me. I healed up and I'm walking." he brushed past her.

"But Derek-"

"Go home." he took her keys from Scott's pocket and tossed them to her.

With that he and Scott ran off into the woods. Callie felt utterly lost. Stiles put his arm around her shoulder and guided her to their cars.

"Stiles, I hate being in love. And not being able to do anything to help."

"Welcome to the club. Don't be too down Callie. He's still alive thanks to us."

"Yeah." Callie couldn't help but feel depressed.

All in one day she watched the one person she cared the most about nearly die, confessed her feelings to deaf ears, caught a glimmer of hope for returned feelings, and was blown off in the very end.

As much as Callie hated it she was feeling very much like a teenage girl.  
She was feeling rejected and angry and so many other things.  
When she got back to her house she marched up the stairs straight to her room.  
Stepping out of her jeans, Callie slid into bed. Sleep was an impossible idea.  
There was too much to think about and too much to feel.  
But right now all Callie really wanted was to do none of that. She just wanted Derek, no matter how mad she was at him.

The moon shone through her window as she lay awake. Moving from her back to her stomach she propped her head up on her elbows.  
She flipped her hair to one side and played with a few strands. Loneliness ate at her insides.  
An electric tingle crept up her spine and she jumped out of her bed. Callie stumbled in the dark and ended up falling.  
She clutched onto her sheets and peeked out just above the bed. Derek tapped on her window before letting himself in.  
A shoe went flying across the room and hit him square in the chest.

"Callie? Why are shoes flying in your room?"

"Why are you in my room?" she whispered loudly.

"Well you left your window unlocked and I wanted to see you."

Callie climbed back onto her bed and sat with her knees to her chest. She didn't really want to see him.  
Especially not with what happened after their moment at the animal clinic.

"I'm trying to sleep Derek."

"No you're not. You've been awake this whole time."

"How do you know?" she shot back.

"You're eyes aren't as bright." he said sitting next to her.

Derek brushed her hair away from her face, enjoying how the moon illuminated all the colors.  
She pulled away from his touch and hid her face in her knees.

"Did I do something?" he asked.

Callie shook her head, her voice suddenly gone.

"Don't lie." Derek lowered himself so both of their eyes were the same level.

"It doesn't matter." she mumbled.

"When you tell someone you love them it does."

Callie lifted her head and dropped her knees. Derek smirked knowing he hit the mark.

"You heard me?" her voice barely audible.

"Only you. When I blacked out all I heard was you trying to wake me up."

There were tears starting to pool up in her eyes. Derek didn't know why she'd be crying but he didn't wait to find out.  
He put both of his hands on both sides of her face and pulled her closer to him. Their lips crashed together.  
Derek was fighting against his better judgement. His head kept telling him that he was only going to be a problem for her.  
That he was putting her in danger. But his heart overpowered all of the doubt.  
Callie made him feel something he hadn't felt in so long. He felt complete. And the fact that she was willing to cry and worry over him meant the world.  
So he kept kissing her. Derek felt her soft hands slide up his arms and onto his chest.  
He buried his into her hair and wrapped the other around her waist. Her laugh tickled his lips as he pulled her onto his lap.  
They stayed like that until the need to breathe tore them apart.

Callie felt a content smile spread across her face as Derek leaned his forehead against hers.  
Her entire body was coursing with the electric energy they shared.  
Derek placed his hands on her back and lowered her down onto the pillows. He lay on top of her just barely so she wouldn't feel squished.  
She ran her hands up his shoulders to his neck so she could stroke his hair.  
So many things were going through her mind, something that seemed like normal now.  
Did this mean her and Derek were together? What were they anyways?  
At the moment she decided it didn't matter. She was so happy that her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

"Callie?"

"Mhmm?"

"Why are you so quiet?"

She giggled. He was always asking what was on her mind or catching the little things about her.

"I'm just at a loss for words. I don't know how to tell you how perfect I feel."

"You feel perfect?" The idea that she felt complete with him made Derek smile.

"Hey Derek, can we kiss again?"

Callie pushed his head down so their lips could meet. She kissed him gently at first but as they went on her kisses grew more passionate.  
Derek drank in her scent, his head swimming in intoxication. He hadn't said "I love you" back to her yet and she seemed fine without hearing it.  
It would be a while before he got the courage to say it. But this plunge into the unknown was good enough for him for now.  
Everything he was feeling was so overwhelming.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Callie pulled out her phone for the millionth time to text Derek.

"Come out and see me." he repeated.

She rolled her eyes. "Wait till my free period. It's next. I'm working on something."

It was true. Callie couldn't tear herself away from her current painting. There was something in the brush strokes trying to tell her something.  
Callie furiously swept her paint brush across the canvas. Dark lines of black and red transformed the picture.  
As soon as she walked into class she had the sudden urge to pull out one of her older works.  
It was of the tree that Derek took Callie to. The painting was so peaceful just like that day. Calming shades of blue and green made up the scene.  
But now she was tainting the image with bold blacks and reds. It scared Callie a bit. She knew this was another vision manifesting itself.  
The bell rang and she put down her pallet. A sharp gasp came from her lips.  
The picture was no longer of a tree in a meadow but of a dark figure with long claws and red eyes.  
Callie recognized it as the beast she saw Scott fighting with in the bus. It was digging one of its claws into the trunk of the tree.  
A bloody spiral was carved there. Callie bit her lip. This was definitely a sign. She took a picture of it on her phone and hurried to clean up her station.

"That's an interesting addition." Mr. Finch came up behind her.

Callie could hear the suspicion in his tone. How was she going to explain her way out of this one.

"I don't know what came over me. I just had this image in my head. I'm kind of sad to see the original painting gone now."

"So am I. Is everything all right Callie?"

He was genuinely worried. Callie thought she was more than just fine. She and Derek were officially together.  
She may have not told Stiles and Scott yet but it was all the same. She was happy with things in her life.  
Derek came to see her at school and would come to her house to spend the night. What could be better?

"I'm great actually. It was probably the music I was listening to. Heavy stuff you know."

"Well don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything. You're my star student and friend."

"Of course . Don't worry about me." She waved and dashed out of the classroom.

Being a senior Callie could leave the school during lunch and her free periods. So now her and Derek didn't have to be separated by a gate.  
She skidded around the corner of the building and ran to her car. Derek was sitting on the hood with his arms crossed.  
He had his usual brood on and when he saw her coming he deepened his frown. Callie knew he was faking it.  
She didn't come out during class like usual and he was being a grump. She skipped to him and went onto her tip toes to peck his lips.

"Don't be such a sourwolf." she teased him.

Derek put his hands on her waist and leaned in to kiss her again. Ever since he and Callie confessed their feelings the electric tingle she felt had gone away. Instead it was more of a magnetic pull, keeping them together and tugging on them when they were apart.

"What are we going to do today?" he asked.

"Just sit in the car and listen to music. Plus I have something to show you."

Callie sat down in the driver seat and plugged in her iPod. She hit shuffle and lowered the volume.  
Derek situated himself in the seat across from her and leaned back all the way.

"What do you want to show me?"

Callie pulled up the picture on her phone and handed it to him. She leaned back her seat so they could be at the same level.

"I painted the tree part last week. And then when I got to class today I did all of the black and red.  
It was a finished piece but I had this urge to put in the rest. This was a vision of sorts. It means something."

Derek frowned and his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

"Do you know what it means?" he asked glancing at her.

"The monster is the thing I saw Scott fighting with in the bus. And I don't know what the spiral could mean."

"Maybe it doesn't mean anything then." Derek gave her back her phone.

Callie knew he was hiding something. He had avoided her eyes when he said that.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Tell Stiles to look it up. He likes investigating stuff."

Callie laughed and turned on her side to face Derek better. She smiled at him and he reached across to hold her hand.  
She kissed his knuckles and he pulled her over to his lap in one easy motion. Callie laughed and fixed herself so she could straddle him.  
She bent down and kissed him.

"Let's watch movies all night." he suggested.

"I can't. I'm going to Allison's tonight. She wants to have a girls night."

"Why? Do that some other time." Derek pouted.

"Derek at least let me try to be normal. I've never done anything girlish before. My only friends have been Scott and Stiles.  
Plus Allison is a nice person. I don't think I have the heart to turn her down."

He growled at her and pulled her down to bite at her neck playfully. Callie hated how he had already figured out that was her weakness.  
She pulled on his hair until he stopped.

"Don't go." he commanded.

"Is there another reason you don't want me to go other than to watch movies?"

"My ... My ex-girlfriend is there." he mumbled into her neck.

Callie pulled away from him so she could see his face.

"What?!"

"I dated Kate Argent in high school. And she happens to be back. And she's a psycho bitch so that's why I don't want you to go."

"Isn't she the one that shot you?"

"Yup."

"Well I'm still gonna go. One because I'm a good friend and two because now I'm just curious about this Kate Argent."

Derek sat up and looked her straight in the eye.

"Don't go." he said sternly.

"Derek stop. You see me everyday and night. I won't spend the night. I'll come home. Ok?"

He just kept glaring at her. His icy blue eyes burning with frustration. She was perhaps the most stubborn girl he had ever met.  
Callie sighed and furrowed his eyebrows even more with her fingers.

"I bet you were born with a scowl." she taunted him.

"At least I don't dye my hair unnatural colors."

Callie stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm dying it blue just for you next week."

Derek tugged on her hair and kissed her neck.

"I like it this color."

"You better like it." she said before kissing him hard on the lips.

The bell for lunch sounded off. Callie climbed back into her seat and turned off the music. Derek got out of the car and waited for her.

"I have to go. Gotta find out the plan for tonight from Allison."

"Come home early or I'll go over there and get you myself."

"Only Scott is dumb enough to go into a house full of hunters. Stay home. I'll call you when I get back."

Derek grabbed her wrists before she left and their lips crashed together.  
Callie could feel him begging her not to go, to stay with him.  
But she couldn't. It was in her nature to get curious and he had just given her the ultimate quest.  
She had to find out who this exactly this Kate Argent was.

When Callie got into the cafeteria she found the table they usually sat at filled with people.  
Ever since Lydia and Jackson had been sitting with them more and more of the so called popular kids were showing up.  
Allison was next to Scott and the two of them were in their own world laughing gleefully.  
Callie plopped down next to Stiles and ruffled his short hair. She smiled at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Lighten up Stiles. You're popular now." she joked.

"Oh yeah everyone is practically dying to talk to me." he said sarcastically.

"Pobresito." Callie pouted and gave him puppy eyes.

"Callie you know I failed Spanish. So how is the big bad wolf?"

Callie shoved him playfully. Scott and Stiles knew that she hung out with Derek, just not about how close they really were.

"He's his normal sourwolf self. About him... There's something I need to tell you and Scott."

"Oooh. Is it like black mail? I can finally have something to threaten him with!" Stiles leaned closer to her eagerly.

"Not exactly." She laughed. "Um, well... Me and Derek are... kind of... dating."

"You and Derek are dating?" another voice spoke.

Callie whipped her head in it's direction. Allison was smiling at her, her head tilted curiously.

"Woah Ficarro. I didn't know you were into older guys." Jackson suddenly came into the conversation.

Callie wanted to bury her head. She could feel her cheeks heat up as a deep blush formed.  
She looked at Stiles and he tried to think of something supportive but nothing came out of his open mouth.  
Thankfully, Scott didn't look angry. Callie knew how he didn't fully trust Derek but maybe their relationship would change his mind.

"Uh yeah. I was only just talking to Stiles but I guess you guys know now." Her voice trailed off.

"How long have you guys been going out?" Allison asked excitedly.

Callie felt all eyes on her and she tugged at her hair nervously.

"Oh Allison. Save the questions for later. I'm sure Callie doesn't want to spill all of the juicy details in front of everyone." Lydia flashed at smile at Callie.

Shock froze her body. Was Lydia actually sticking up for her? Lydia Martin, the girl who had been out to get her since they had started high school.  
Whatever motive behind it Callie was grateful that attention was off her and conversations returned to their original topics.

"Aw come on Callie. I wanna know all the juicy details!" Stiles clasped his hands together.

"Shut up." she giggled and pushed his head away from her.

"Just let me know if he ever does something wrong to you. I'll take care of it." Scott added protectively.

"Yeah Scott. You could definitely take him on." Callie said sarcastically as she thought of the time she saw them fighting.

"Scott's strong. Plus he's amazing at lacrosse so I'm sure that means he can handle himself." Allison said taking his chin into her hand.

Callie mental gagged at the cuteness. Then she wondered if her and Derek did cheesy cute stuff like that too.  
They had never went on an actual date. It was all really secretive. They were either alone in her room, his house, or the forest.  
Not that Callie minded. She wanted to keep her private life private. She didn't exactly like being in the spotlight.

"Oh Callie! Meet at my house tonight at 7. And bring all your makeup. Lydia has been dying to give me a makeover so I figure we could all do one."

"Oh my God that's so cute! Can I come over and get my mascara done too?" Stiles said in a high pitched voice.

"It's going to take a lot more than just mascara to make you pretty Stiles." Callie sneered.

Scott burst out laughing and Stiles pouted, looking extra rejected.

As Callie was walking to her last class Scott rushed to catch up with her. He skidded to a stop in front of her, a little out of breath.

"I thought being a werewolf meant you wouldn't get tired running across campus." she joked at his condition.

"Very funny. But seriously, tell me if Derek does anything to you."

"Scott you don't need to look out for me. Derek isn't a bad guy. He would never do anything to hurt me."

Her friend didn't look very convinced. She pulled him in for a quick hug.

"What I feel for Derek is almost the same as what you feel for Allison. Yes, Scott I know how you feel. Psychic remember?  
When I'm with him I feel more safe than I've ever felt and perfectly happy. There's nothing to worry about!  
The only thing you have to really worry about is which embarrassing childhood story I'm going to tell Allison tonight."

"You wouldn't!" he nearly yelped.

"Oh Scott. I so would." she smirked at him mischievously.

The bell rang and Scott flinched at it's loudness being amplified by his super hearing.

"Don't be late to class." she teased him as she walked into her own.

The Argent's house was very big and very beautiful. The red brick accents were even brighter in the sunset.  
Callie walked up to the classical wooden doors and pulled her duffle bag more securely on her shoulder.  
She rang the doorbell and waited for a few minutes. There were footsteps behind the door and then a blonde woman opened the door.  
Callie was taken by surprise expecting Allison. The woman quickly ran her eyes over Callie and gave her a smile.

"Allison your friend is here!" she called up the stairs.

"Hi I'm Callie." she tried to hide her nervousness.

"Kate. I'm Allison's aunt."

So this was the infamous Kate. Derek was into blondes Callie guessed. Allison appeared at the top of the stairs and waved Callie to come in.  
Callie shouldered her way through the door way and Kate closed it slowly behind her.

"Don't go to crazy girls. I might just have to go up and join you."

"You don't need an invite! Come up whenever." Allison told her before taking Callie's hand and leading her into her room.

Lydia was laying on her stomach on Allison's bed reading a fashion magazine.

"Callie do you think you could do my make up like this for the winter formal?" she said holding up a page.

"Winter formal is like 3 months away. A little early to be thinking of your outfit now." Callie replied setting down her bag.

Lydia flipped her hair and pursed her lips.

"Its never to early. Plus I need back up looks in case someone tries to copy one of my ideas."

Callie rolled her eyes._ "Its hard to not get your ideas stolen when you get them from trendy magazines."_ she thought.

"Are you going to go to winter formal Callie?" Allison asked.

"Yeah. It's my last one being a senior and all."

"Right you're a senior. I keep forgetting. Its probably because you are best friends with Scott and Stiles."

"Why are you friends with them anyways? They're practically your stupid younger brothers." Lydia shot at her.

"Well we've been friends since we were kids. We all went to the same daycare and my parents never had the time to take care of me so I would always be at Scott's house because his mom offered to watch me."

That was the nice version. In reality Callie's parents simply didn't want to take care of her. So they sent her to daycare.  
And when she got too old to be there they pretty much left her at the McCall's door step.

"Aw that's so cute." Lydia replied sarcastically. "Now tell us about you and Derek. He is so hot."

"Derek really is tall, dark, and mysterious." Allison laughed.

Callie shifted uncomfortably on the bed. She pulled on one of her maroon strands and bit her lip.  
What was she going to tell them that made him seem like any normal guy. Of course Derek was anything than normal.  
He was undeniably attractive, but also a werewolf that would tear anyone to pieces if they tried to harm her.

"I sort of met him at my work. He would always be around the dance studio when I got off. So one day I decided to talk to him.  
And we just hit it off. He's a really good guy. He would do anything for me."

"Sounds kind of creepy. Me and Jackson of course met a normal way. At school. But we're perfect for each other anyways.  
I mean there isn't anyone else pretty enough for him other than me." Lydia tried to steal the attention to her.

"You work at a dance studio? Like ballet?" Allison's eyes sparked at the new fact.

"Yeah. It's called Ms. Antoinette's. I help out with the little kid classes. Sometimes I'm in their recitals for group dances and stuff."

"Show us something!" she clapped her hands excitedly.

"I'm not that good." Callie tried to end the discussion.

"Don't be afraid Callie. We won't tell anyone if you suck." Lydia egged her on.

Callie sighed and stood up. She pulled at her hoodie and silently thanked the universe that she had worn leggings that day.  
She walked over to Allison's closet where there was more space.

"I don't have on my ballet shoes so it's not going to look right." Callie warned.

"Just go. It won't be bad." Allison encouraged her.

Callie inhaled a deep breath and began a simple routine. She bounced up onto her tip toes and went through all of the feet positions.  
Then she went through the different plies and hand motions. Quickly she shifted her body and went into a spin.  
Swinging her leg to gain momentum, Callie spun several more times before ending with a small leap.  
The sound of the other girls applause made her smile with pride and she curtsied.

"You're really good, I have to admit." Lydia was genuinely impressed.

Callie sat back onto the bed and pulled her knees to her chest.

"You shouldn't be so shy about your dancing. I wish I had kept up with my hobbies. I used to do gymnastics. Eight years. And I did archery but I haven't really gotten back into it." Allison had a distant look in her brown eyes.

"Archery is cool. There's plenty of trees to shoot at in the forest." Callie said optimistically.

"Yeah that's true. I should get back into it."

Lydia yawned and tossed the magazine she was looking at to Callie.

"This is talent show has been great and all but let's get down to business. Makeovers now!"

Allison laughed and went over to her desk. She brought back a small box of various makeup. Callie reached for her bag and pulled out her own kit.  
Lydia already had her professional makeup carrier spread out on the bed.

"Ok Callie being the artist and all, would you please do my makeup like this?" Lydia whined.

"You want it exactly like this?" she looked over the picture.

"Yes!"

Callie grabbed a couple brushes and pulled out her large eyeshadow palette.  
Of course Lydia would want the one makeup that would take all of the colors and blend them into one.  
She scooted herself closer to the strawberry blonde and began to apply the different colors.

"I've seen your art. It's really pretty." Allison began to make small talk.

"Oh thanks. Mr. Finch keeps asking me to come back after I graduate to be his assistant teacher. I probably will since I can't afford to go to school."

"Must suck being working middle class." Lydia stated.

Callie bit her lip before she could say anything. Allison was quiet, probably to uncomfortable to tell her friend to mind her manners.

"Well if you come back I'll be happy. Then we can still see each other."

"You're too nice. You know that Allison." Callie felt strange by the confession.

She didn't have friends that were girls. She was actually surprised that Lydia and Allison even thought to invite her.  
It was definitely interesting to be having a typical Friday night.

"Look up with your eyes. I'm gonna do the eyeliner now." Callie instructed Lydia.

"Tell me your secret. How do you get it to perfect?"

"I don't really know. I wear eyeliner like everyday. I guess the key is to mix it up. I don't always were it on both lids. Mostly just the  
upper one. And when I do the lower line I don't go all the way. When I put it on I don't just do it all in one swoop either.  
I read somewhere that you use feather like strokes and it works pretty well."

Lydia nodded slightly and sniffed in agreement.

"You really know a lot Callie." Allison was looking at her in admiration.

"I just pick up a lot easily. Plus I am older than you. So with age comes wisdom." she joked.

Callie touched up Lydia's lip gloss and blush before handing her a mirror. Lydia made eyes at herself and blew herself a kiss.

"Wow this is good. So are you doing anything before winter formal?"

Allison laughed and took a picture of Lydia posing. "My turn!"

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"Um just do something glamorous. Like red carpet style."

"That I can do." Callie was relieved she wouldn't have to do another intense blending job.

As she was brushing on the darker shades of eyeshadow there was a tap on the door.  
Kate came in with a bowl of chips and she closed the door behind her.

"It's too quiet in here. Where's the blasting music. The normal screechy girl talk?"

Allison giggled and turned to her aunt.

"We're doing makeovers. Can't exactly talk when someone is working on your face."

"Aw that's an excuse." Kate went over to the tv and popped in a movie.

"So do you all have boyfriends or is it just Allison?"

Callie stiffened at the question. It was going to be so awkward when Kate found out she and Derek were together.  
She braced herself for the fury and wrath of an ex-girlfriend when Lydia started to talk.

"Excuse me. Allison and Scott are hardly as established as me and Jackson. And even Callie had a boyfriend, Derek."

Callie bit her lip hoping they couldn't hear her heart trying to beat itself out of her chest. She cautiously glanced over at Kate.  
The woman casually chomped on a chip before raising her eyebrows.

"Well aren't you three the little boy killers. I dated a couple guys in high school so I can't blame you."

She eyed Callie, sending a shiver up her spine. Callie tried to keep her focus on Allison's makeup but it didn't help that it was nearly complete.

"Is that red lipstick?" Allison peeked at Callie's hands.

"You said you wanted red carpet." Callie said, sweeping the color across her friend's lips.

"Damn, you do a good job! I should call you to do my hair and everything when I go out." Kate patted Callie on the back.

Allison jumped up and took a look in the mirror. She dance around happily and began to mimic celebrity poses.  
Lydia played the role of photographer and the two girls laughed.

"Do you want me to do your makeup?" Callie offered. She hoped maybe it would distract her from the whole Derek thing.

"No thanks. I'm gonna go back down and hang out with the boring grown ups. I'll bring up hot chocolate later."

"Really? Thanks!" Allison called after her.

Suddenly the theme music for Titanic blared from the tv speakers and Lydia squealed.

"I love this movie! Jackson never lets me watch it anymore."

"My favorite part is the scene where Jack is holding her at the front of the boat. It's cliche but it's beautiful."

"I like the end. Not because Jack dies! It's just so tragic. It's amazing." Callie admitted.

"Typical Goth. Please. How is the car sex scene not your favorite? It's so steamy." Lydia turned to look at both of them.

"Lydia!" Allison exclaimed.

"What? Nothing wrong with a little spice in the bedroom. Come on Allison you're not that innocent.  
And Callie you got yourself a man-friend, not a boyfriend. Don't tell me you and Derek haven't."

"We barely started dating a week ago! And it's not like we're that yet. We're just dating."

"Excuses. Excuses." Lydia wagged her finger.

Callie pulled her knees up to her chest. Thankfully Lydia was quiet for the rest of the movie.  
It was also entertaining when she and Allison both decided to sing rather loudly when the Celine Dion song came on.  
Callie took this as her chance to text Derek. She wondered if he was just sitting alone in her room watching movies.

"Movie is almost over. I'll be home soon."

"What movie? You've been there for 4 hours!"

"Titanic. The part when Jack dies is my favorite part so I had so stay."

"Ew. Hurry up."

Callie smirked. Maybe when she got back she'd torture him by making them watch a chick flick.  
The credits were rolling down the screen and Callie started to get up. Just then Kate walked in with three large mugs of hot chocolate.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." she joked.

"Nope we were just going to watch Mean Girls. Wanna stay?"

"No. I won't intrude on your bonding time. Where are you going Callie?"

"Oh I have to be up early I figured I'd just go home."

"Aw no fun. Stay here. I'll wake you up tomorrow. You can't leave without having Allison's mom's famous hot chocolate."

"Please stay Callie. It's really good I swear."

Not wanting to be rude Callie took back her spot on the bed. Kate handed her a mug and flashed her a wide smile.  
Callie sipped at the hot drink, the heat tickling her face. It was the most heavenly thing she had ever tasted.

"This better be low calorie. I can not go over my count." Lydia hissed.

Kate laughed at her and headed out the door. "A little chocolate isn't going to kill you."

She gave Callie a final glance and disappeared into the hallway. Callie didn't like the glint in her eyes.  
But the richness of the hot chocolate immediately emptied her mind. Allison and Lydia chatted away as the movie played.  
Callie hadn't felt an ounce of sleepiness the entire night but out of nowhere her eyelids were dropping.  
She struggled to keep them open, fighting the hundred pound weights. Moments later she gave up and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Derek paced up and down Callie's street. The last text she sent was at eleven. It was one in the morning now.  
Even though he had threatened to go over and get her if she didn't come back it would be a stupid idea.  
Walk into a house full of hunters, not to mention his crazy ex-girlfriend, and countless weapons that could kill him. Very smart.  
He had barely survived getting shot in the arm with a wolfsbane bullet.  
Derek checked his phone again seeing the same blank screen. Where was she?

"Fancy seeing you out here."

He stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes tightly. The familiar voice immediately made a fire of anger burn in him.  
Derek only turned half way. He was not going to face her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aw Derek, is that any way to greet an old friend? Sure we may have not gotten along in the end but it was worth it."

Kate put her hands on her hips and smirked at his attitude.

"Where's Callie?"

"Oh right. You're little girl. I didn't know you were into the young ones. But then again maybe I do. I was younger than you."

Derek gritted his teeth. She was trying to bring up memories he never wanted to remember.  
Kate had ruined his life. He fell for her and thought everything was fine. She was only using him though.  
She was a hunter trying to eliminate the enemy. His family in this case. What he believed they had didn't mean a thing to her.

"Where is she?" he snarled at her.

"Relax. She's safe and sound. Sleeping like a tranquilized bear. It's amazing what a drop of pure valerian extract can do."

"You drugged her?" Derek was furious at this point. He faced Kate head on and lashed out with his claws.

Kate knew that he would explode at anytime. She was ready. As soon as he lunged for her, she grabbed his wrist.  
Using his weight against him, she yanked his arm behind his back and hand cuffed him.

"You were always so predictable. That's how I knew exactly how to wrap you around my finger. You're just like a puppy."

She kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to the ground.

"Plus if I let her leave the party then I wouldn't be able to talk to you."

"It's been a nice chat. Now get the hell out of here."

"Oh Derek. You're mean ol' glare doesn't scare me. Don't be so grumpy. Remember all the good times we had?"

She leaned down and scratched under his chin with a long finger nail.

"All the great, hot sex? Come on, how could you forget that? It's not like a little girl like her can please you. You need a real woman."

Kate took a fistful of his hair and yanked his head forward. Their lips crashed together forcefully.  
Derek wanted to vomit at the taste of her. He head butted her so hard that she toppled over.  
Kate let out a cackle and staggered to her feet. She straightened out her hair and winked at Derek.  
A deep growl rumbled from his chest and he tore his hands apart, breaking the metal cuffs. His eyes flashed bright blue in the darkness.

"How's that for a good bye kiss?" she taunted him.

Kate turned around and headed back to her car. Derek huffed and wiped his mouth feverently.

"Better watch out for your little chew toy. Never know what kind of trouble she could get into." she called back to him.

Derek watched as she drove away. Callie was never going back to the Argent house.  
There was no use in waiting for Callie to come home. Derek hopped into his car and raced back to his house.  
He'd go back for her in the morning.

Callie slowly came out of her sleep. Her head felt extremely fuzzy and her mouth had a bitter taste.  
She felt like she had been sleeping for a whole week straight. Her body ached as she got into a sitting position.  
Allison and Lydia were laying on the bed. All three girls had somehow managed to fit and not push someone off.  
Without disturbing them, Callie wandered down the stairs. The Argents lived in a large house with a high ceiling.  
Taking a left, she found herself going down a small hallway. The dining room on one side and a door to the kitchen on the other.  
Heading into the kitchen Callie found a water bottle and chugged it down. The cool liquid woke her up and got rid of the strange taste in her mouth.  
She went back into the living room and carefully looked at all the pictures sitting on shelves and tables.  
There a lot of Allison and her family in typical Christmas card poses and at vacation spots. Not a very large family.  
Callie recognized Allison's father and mother. There was one photo with Kate in it. And then one of an older man that must've been her grandfather.  
A quiet shuffle sounded behind her and she quickly turned to see who it was.

"Good morning." it was Mr. Argent.

"Morning." Callie choked out.

"Looking for something?"

"Just wanted some water. Found the water bottles." she said holding up her own.

"Good. Kate told me you needed to leave early."

"Yeah. I have to go home and check in on my parents." she lied.

Mr. Argent nodded. Callie hoped he would buy her excuse. For all she knew he could probably see the signs in her body language that she was lying.

"Won't you stay for breakfast at least?" he urged.

"I actually have to go home and make that. My parents are a bit of a mess on the weekends." Callie laughed nervously.

"All right. It was a pleasure having you."

"Thank you for letting me stay. Tell Allison I said good bye and that I had a great time."

"Sure thing." he nodded and cracked half a smile.

Callie hesitated for a few moments before rushing upstairs. She quickly gathered her things and silently slipped on her shoes.  
She almost ran into Kate when she walked towards the front door.

"You're leaving already? I wish you could have stayed longer. Do you need a ride?"

Callie could sense the extra charm she was putting into her voice. Kate was hiding something.

"I drove here but thanks." Callie held up her keys and opened the door.

Kate followed her out and stood at the front steps.

"Watch out for any stray dogs. I went out for a jog last night, almost got attacked by one." She grinned widely.

Callie nodded, confused by the weird precaution. She threw her bag in the back and backed out of the driveway.  
A few streets down she pulled out her phone.

"Coming home. Sorry I fell asleep on you."

No reply. Callie sighed and combed the bed head out of her hair. Derek was mad at her. He was ignoring her to prove a point.  
She could only hope that he would knock on her window when she got to her room.

The silent praying was for nothing. When she entered her room she found Derek lounging on her bed.  
The window was open and a breeze wound its way around the room. Callie dropped her bag and closed the door behind her.  
Derek turned his head, blue eyes piercing straight through her. He wore a blank expression.  
Callie went over to the side of the bed and put her phone on the nightstand. A sly smile crept across her face.  
Without warning she launched herself onto Derek's stomach. He was unphased by her and pulled her head into his chest.  
His strong arms kept her from escaping. They wrested, trying to get the upper hand on the other.  
Callie lightly bit his arm and he flipped her onto her back. Derek stared into her eyes, the smile had never left her face.  
He bent his head and kissed her. The forceful kiss he had with Kate flashed into his mind. He wanted to erase it so badly.  
So he kissed Callie again and again. Their lips collided and their embrace heated. It got to the point where it almost hurt.  
There was a pressure on his chest and he was being lifted away from Callie. She had tucked her legs up and was using them to create some space.  
She gasped for air and coughed a little.

"What's wrong?" she didn't need psychic powers to know something was eating at him.

"Nothing. I just missed you." he looked away.

"Don't lie. I will read your mind." she put her hands on his cheeks and made him face her.

"Kate came looking for me last night."

"That bitch. She drugged me didn't she?" There was a fire burning in Callie's eyes.

"Yeah. And she... she kissed me."

"Ew! You're giving me her germs!" Callie pushed his head away lightly. Derek let all his weight fall on her.

He studied her closely. Not a hint of anger towards him.

"You're not mad?"

"A little. But I have enough intuition to know you didn't want it or like it. There's mouth wash in the bathroom just for future reference."

Derek kissed her happily. This is what he liked most about her. She was so open minded not much effected her.  
She had this optimistic way of going about things. Never too serious but still caring just enough.  
Callie brushed the maroon hair out of her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You worry too much. Smile a little Derek. We have all morning and afternoon together."

He rolled off her and put a hand on her waist. The other held up his head.

"And what are we going to do?"

"First, I need a shower. Then, food."

"Ok. We'll go get pizza and waste time till you go to work. I'll drive you and pick you up."

"Sounds like a plan." she replied and pecked him on the lips.

If this was what normal life was going to be like then Callie didn't mind at all.  
Not even the part where she was drugged by Derek's evil ex-girlfriends. She could handle that.  
It was just the bloodthirsty beast lurking in the back of her mind she wasn't so sure about.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN~: Hey guys I don't have much to say this time other than the usual thanks and what not. Oh also who is watching Season 3?**  
**Every episode I'm practically having a heart attack! I love everyone in Teen Wolf too much I can't bear to see them hurt! **  
**Well now on to Chapter 7!**

* * *

Callie held her breath as the cold water rushed over her head. A waterfall of red filled her vision.  
She held on to the air in her lungs for a few more seconds before shutting off the water. She never liked this part of dying her hair.  
Squeezing out the remaining water, she prepared to go under one last time. She laughed to herself.  
Remembering how she had joked with Derek she was going blue next. Well she had decided on candy apple red.  
Not that much of a difference from maroon, but she still hoped he would like it. If not, then he was out of luck.  
Callie to a huge breath and ducked under the bathtub faucet. Through the roar of the water she could just make out her ringtone.  
It went to voicemail. Seconds later it rang again. And again. And again.  
Callie groaned and turned off the water. She quickly dried her hair as best as she could and grabbed the seizuring phone.

"This better be good Stiles." she snarled.

"Get to the movie rental now."

"Why? It's like ten on a Saturday night. Derek is gonna be here any time now."

"Callie could you just be away from Derek for like maybe twenty minutes. Lydia and Jackson were attacked!"

"You're kidding right?" her heart stopped for a split second.

"Just get over here now."

Stiles's voice was grave and serious. Callie wrapped her hair up in a towel and put on a pullover sweater.  
She awkwardly put on her shoes as she went down the stairs. Jamming her phone in her jeans pocket, Callie ran out the door.

When she drove up to the movie store there was already a small crowd gathering. She parked her car in a secluded corn.  
She pulled off the towel on her head and got out. A quick scan around the area told her that the cops had been there for some time.  
Yellow caution tape kept the scene of the crime blocked off and an ambulance was near the entrance.  
Callie found Stiles close to his father's sheriff car.

"What the hell happened?" Callie avoided stepping on broken glass from the shattered window.

"No idea. Dad's still trying to get it out of Jackson."

The two of them looked over to where Sheriff Stilinski was talking to Jackson.

"What part of I'm fine are you having trouble grasping? Ok, I want to go home." Jackson's voice was growing louder.

"I understand." Sheriff Stilinski tried to calm him down.

"No you don't understand! What blows my mind, since it should be a pretty basic concept to grasp for a minimum wage  
rent-a-cop like you! Ok, now I want to go home!"

Stiles lurched forward but Callie's grip pulled him back. He gave her a look, clearly wanting to go stand up for his dad.

"Jackson is just scared. Dad has dealt with worse." she whispered in his ear.

His shoulders slumped forward and he kicked at the ground in frustration.  
A pair of paramedics stepped out of the store, wheeling a gurney covered in a white cloth.  
Callie instantly got chills up her spine and goosebumps. She hated being around death.  
Somehow her abilities amplified all of the emotions and energy that came with it. It made her stomach churn in horrible ways.

"Is that a dead body?" Stiles said too loudly.

Callie slapped that back of his head. The sheriff also turned to face his son, shaking his head in disapproval.  
Stiles looked at him apologetically. Jackson took this moment to storm off towards his car.  
He had left Lydia alone with the EMT who wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.  
She looked like she had seen the devil. Callie felt nothing but sympathy for her.

"You think this was another wild animal attack?" Stiles asked.

"Nope. An animal couldn't have done that to Lydia. And if it was just an animal Scott and Derek wouldn't be here."

"They're here?" Stiles looked around wildly.

Callie grabbed the top of his head and pointed him in the right direction. Two dark shadows stood on top of the building.

"Come on get in my car. We'll go meet them around the back." Callie pulled Stiles away.

"I'll take Stiles home. Don't worry about him tonight!" she called back to Sheriff Stilinski.

He nodded quickly and headed into the store himself.

By time Callie and Stiles had gotten around the building Scott was standing alone. Callie waved to him to get in.

"Where's Derek?" she asked.

"He said he had stuff to do at his house." Scott said, he was distracted.

Callie was a little disappointed but her worry for Scott was more important.

"What's up?"

Scott was silent. He covered his mouth with his hand and leaned his head back on the seat.

"Scott tell us what's going on." she said sternly.

"It's the alpha. There's a bigger, stronger, scarier werewolf out there killing people. And Derek wants me to kill him."

"Why do you have to do it? Can't Derek just fight him on his own?" Stiles was fully turned in his seat.

"It's because the alpha bit me. He wants me in his pack. The alpha pretty much owns me."

"And the only way for you to be free is if you kill it right?" Callie muttered.

"How did you know that?" Scott was surprised.

"Ever since you became a werewolf we've been doing research on all things lycan. I came across it a while back."

"So what are we going to do about Lydia and Jackson?" Stiles changed the subject.

"We don't even know if they saw anything." Scott replied.

"They sure as hell didn't see the freakin' Easter Bunny. Did you see Lydia? She looks like a ghost.  
They saw him. But if we're going to find out anything about the alpha its going to be from them."

"Well I can't exactly help. I have to train with Derek."

"For what? Scott I thought you didn't trust him!" Stiles sounded hurt.

"Well I kind of need him. Another full moon is coming and I still don't know how to control my shifts."

"Scott don't worry about it. Leave it to me and Stiles."

"What exactly are we going to do?"

"Stiles when have I ever given you reason to doubt me? Now get out of my car we're at your house.  
I'll tell you the plan on Monday."

Stiles hung his head dramatically and got out of the car. He saluted Callie in a farewell before disappearing behind the door.  
Scott climbed over the center divider and sat down in the passenger seat. He was oddly quiet and tense.

"Hey it's ok to be scared. We're gonna get through this." Callie tried to encourage him.

"How can you be so sure? All I want to do is be normal. Go out on normal dates with the girl I like.  
Be able to even go out without worrying I'll shift in front of everyone or worrying about someone else dying!"

Callie reached over and held his hand. She knew what he was going through. With all of the sudden supernatural changes in Beacon Hills  
she also wondered if things would ever be normal again.

"Scott, this is the new normal. But you can do something about it. Get help from Derek and learn how to control yourself better.  
Once you do that dealing with the alpha will be a lot easier. You aren't alone. You have us."

She smiled at him reassuringly. Scott appeared to be taking in everything she had just said. Finally he nodded, his doubt lifted for the time being.

"Rest up. Derek isn't going to go easy on you. I'll see you at school."

"Thanks Callie... for everything."

"That's my job. Big sister over here."

The entire house was dark except for the glow of the tv. Callie quietly closed and locked the door behind her.  
She went into the kitchen to grab a drink.

"Did you get me any cigarettes?" a tired voice called from the living room.

Callie went over to her mom who was watching a strange movie and lounging on the couch. A liquor bottle dangling from her hand lazily.

"Can't get those for you yet. I'm not eighteen." Callie took the bottle and set it on the table.

Her mom snatched it back and drank down a large gulp. They shared the same hair color but that was about it.

"Damn, that explains why you're still here. Not eighteen, pssssh. We should just kick you out now. I had to live on my own when I was seventeen."

Callie could feel hot tears pooling in her eyes. No matter how much she did for her parents they never appreciated her.  
She always gave them the benefit of a doubt, hoping they would show a change of heart. But that would only work if they actually had hearts.  
Callie trudged up to her room and slammed the door. She could hear her mom yell something derogatory at her in response.  
She was so upset she didn't bother turning on the light. All she wanted to do was sleep way into the next day.  
Her room was empty. No familiar blue eyes there to greet her. No warm hug to make her feel whole.  
This was the first time Derek hadn't been with her at night. He always showed up when the moon replaced the sun in the sky.  
Forgetting her own problems, she wondered if he was all right. Callie slipped out of her jeans and brushed her hair.  
She'd have to see in the morning how red it turned out. Before settling into bed, Callie brought out her phone.

"Good night. Love you." She sent the text to Derek.

Callie curled herself into a tight ball. She felt like she was about to explode into pieces.  
As much as she didn't want to admit it, Derek's arms were the only thing that usually kept her feeling together.  
She had never needed someone in that way and it almost scared her how much of an impact Derek made on her in such a short time.  
The bond they had wasn't normal. This wasn't just the honeymoon phase of relationships. Callie was certain there was something much different.

Callie munched on her poptart and walked down the hall into the quad. Students were busily chatting and going their own ways around her.  
She had no idea if Lydia or Jackson were even at school today. It was break so she was using the time to scope them out.  
Suddenly someone collided into her back and her snack went flying to the ground.

"What the hell? I was eating that!" she screamed. She whipped around ready to punch who ever it was.

Stiles threw up his arms around his head defensively before she could land a fist in him.

"Stiles why does it look like you're bugging out of your skin?"

"Have you seen Scott?" he asked frantically.

"No. I haven't seen anyone all day. I was looking for either Jackson or Lydia right now."

"Jackson's here. He looks like he's going to fall over and die."

"Oh. Well look's like we're gonna have a change in plans. After school go to Lydia's house and check in on her. I'll deal with Jackson."

"Lydia's house? Me, go to Lydia's house?" Stiles stammered.

"Yes you! Be her knight in shining armor. I already know there's no way Jackson's gone to visit her."

Another face caught Callie's attention. It was Danny, Jackson's best friend and one of their new tablemates.

"Come on. We're gonna go talk to Danny." Callie led Stiles by the arm over to him.

Danny was sitting on a bench alone. He was nervously bouncing his leg up and down, looking like he didn't want to be bothered.

"Hey Danny. What's up?" Stiles tried to act cool.

"No."

"You don't even know what we're gonna ask." he pouted.

"Everyone has been asking me the same thing. I don't know what is going on with Jackson." he snapped.

"Jackson hasn't told you anything?" Callie raised an eyebrow.

"No."

"Did Lydia tell you anything?" Stiles tried again.

"No."

"Are you sure."

"Leave me alone."

"Fine one last question. Do you find me attractive?"

Callie rolled her eyes and dragged Stiles away. He had tortured Danny enough. She could easily see he truly didn't know anything and was just as scared for his friends as everyone else was.

"Stiles you are not gay. And even if you were you'd still have a hard time of being attractive."

Callie didn't actually mean the harsh words. She was just messing with Stiles. In reality she thought he was rather cute in his own way.  
He was just in love with the wrong type of girl. Just then Jackson crossed their path. They watched him eyes wide.  
Jackson didn't appear to be all there. He was pale and his eyes shifted from side to side fearfully.

"So what's the plan with him?" Stiles said leaning on her shoulder.

"The attack is most likely the only thing he is thinking about so I'll find his class during my free period. Then i'll just meditate or something, try to get into his mind. It'll be easy."

"Ok. So you get into Jackson's brain. I go to Lydia's. Now what about Scott who is currently MIA?"

"Dude, stop freaking out. I'll figure out where he is. If we find out anything important then we'll just call him."

"Right. Ok good plan. I gotta stop freaking out."

Callie patted his back comfortingly and laughed. She was surprised at how calm she felt considering a monstrous beast was out killing people and nearly killed someone she actually knew.

During her free period the halls were empty. Derek had been waiting for her but she told him she needed to focus on this.  
No distractions if she wanted to do this quick. Callie silently went up to what seemed like every classroom door, peeking in through the small window part to see if Jackson was inside. She finally found him in a history class. Making sure she was alone, Callie sat next to the lockers closest to the room.  
She pulled on her hood and popped in her ear buds. Maybe if she made it look like she was studying no one would question her.  
Callie spread open a book and set it on her lap. Then she closed her eyes and tried to find Jackson in the midst of all the other students.  
Just as she had predicted he was the jitteriest. It was easy to spot his energy and even easier to enter his vulnerable subconscious.  
Callie flinched at the pure terror she was experiencing. These were Jackson's emotions and he was obviously traumatized by the attack.  
Luckily it was the only thing he was thinking about. Callie could literally follow his every move that night.

He walked into the store looking for the movie Lydia wanted rather annoyed. No one responded to his request for help. He walked farther in.  
His heart started to pound as he came up to a pool of red. There lay a dead man, bloody slashes up and down his body.  
Jackson turned to run out of the store but a loud bang made him stop. All the lights began to turn off and he hid behind a shelf of movies.  
There was something in there with him. The sounds of it running through the aisles showed that it was getting closer.  
A shelf fell over causing all the other ones to domino with it. Jackson tried to dash out but was caught under a fallen shelf, his legs trapped.  
Then there was heavy, animal-like breathing in his ears. Whatever it was, was on his back. It's hot breath making his skin crawl.  
Pain cut into his neck as he could only assume that it was scratching him. Suddenly it was gone and Jackson lay there scared to death.

Callie coughed violently as she came out of the trance. Her hands were shaking as Jackson's emotions were still coursing through her.  
He hadn't seen it at all. There was no proof that it had been the alpha or any other werewolf. It could have been some crazy serial killer.  
She sighed deeply and held her head in her hands. Hopefully Stiles would be able to uncover more.

Callie found Stiles at lunch. He immediately noticed the solemn expression she wore.

"Didn't like what you saw huh?" he pulled out a chair for her at their strangely empty table.

"More like what I didn't see. Jackson couldn't move when he was attacked. Whatever it was, was on his back. He couldn't see."

"So the alpha is smarter than we thought."

"We don't even know if it's the alpha. That's the problem."

"Ugh where is Scott? He needs to be here." Stiles groaned in frustration.

"Right I figured that out somewhat. He's not at home and he's not here. Neither is Allison."

"Meaning?" Stiles looked utterly lost.

"Really Stiles? Allison and Scott are both not at school. They're ditching together!"

"Well that's great! Scott probably forgot that today is parent teacher meetings tonight and everyone with a C has to go.  
And he happens to fit that category!" Stiles put his hands on his head.

"That's it we're going into desperation mode. Text him nonstop in all your classes whenever you get the chance. I'll do the same."

Stiles nodded quickly and they went off to their next classes.

The rest of the day seemed to get worse. No response from Scott yet. It seemed like he had dropped off the face of the earth.  
Callie bounced her leg nervously. She was beginning to wonder if Stiles's anxiety was contagious.  
There was only a few minutes left of class and Callie wasn't about to start paying attention to the lesson now.  
She flipped her long bangs over her eyes, enjoying the new redness of it. The color came out brighter than she thought.  
If anything it would fade nicely over the next month. The bell rang and she absent-mindedly walked out of class.  
She was distracted by thoughts of Scott and Derek and what she was going to eat for dinner.  
She crashed into someone's chest and immediately jumped back.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking." She apologized and swallowed down a lump of surprise.

"What are you looking to interrogate me too?" Jackson practically screamed at her.

"Jackson what are you-"

"Well too late! Your freaking psycho boyfriend already did!"

"Derek was here? Jackson I don't want to ask you anything. This was an accident I swear."

"I'm scared all right! I've never been this afraid in my entire life! I can't eat. I can't sleep. I'm supposed to be the best. The strongest.  
And what's the worst part is that your stupid friend is stealing everything I have. Do you know what it's like to feel like you're losing everything?"

He stood there panting. Callie felt like he had just let off a lot of things he was holding in. Definitely unintentional.  
She couldn't hide the confused look on her face. Realizing what he did, Jackson took a step away from her and wiped his face.

"Jackson it's ok to be scared. Just because everyone expects you to be something doesn't mean you have to give in to it.  
You're only human. Look if you need to talk about it find me."

Callie couldn't believe she was offering Jackson therapy. He had never done anything for her except make her life miserable.  
But he was in so much inner turmoil. She felt bad for him. No one should have to go through so much pain.

"Thanks... Callie." he said slowly before turning the other way.

Callie quickly went out the door and to her car. Even though she was feeling pretty sympathetic towards him there was another emotion raging.  
Why did Derek go and intimidate him like that. She didn't know why but it made her furious.

"You better be home." she texted him.

Callie drove down the forest road until she came to the turn off for the Hale house. She parked her car on the side of the road.  
Her car wasn't exactly the best for unpaved terrain so she'd have to walk the rest. As she came closer to the house she could see Derek waiting on the porch for her.

"Why are you even mad?" he called out to her.

"Why did you threaten Jackson at school? Why would you do that? He's already traumatized enough!" she shouted back.

Derek was a little taken back by the fury in her eyes. He didn't do anything wrong. So he shook up Jackson a bit. He had it coming for him anyway.

"If you had come out like you should have you would have known what I was planning." Derek got up in her face.

Callie rolled her eyes at his tone. "If you would have waited then you would of found out I had everything under control."

"You had everything under control?" Derek scoffed. "Callie what makes you think you have a clue about what's going on?"

"What are you getting at? I don't have all the answers so that's why I'm trying to find them!"

"Callie there isn't anything you can do. You're just a girl. This is something that doesn't involve you." he growled.

Callie felt like she had just been stabbed. He thought she was just a kid. She was useless.  
Since the killings had started and Scott became a werewolf Callie feared becoming helpless. She had told herself early on that she wouldn't become weak, that she would be there every step of the way for anything. But Derek thought she couldn't do anything. And that hurt.  
All those nights she had spent staying up researching with Stiles weren't for nothing.

"This doesn't involve me? My friends are being attacked! Scott is being targeted by the alpha. So I'm sorry if I'm getting in the way of your plans but  
I'm trying to help my friends and maybe even save them!"

Callie turned back towards the road and stormed off with her fists clenched tight.

"Where are you going?" Derek started toward her.

She whipped around to glare at him. He really had the nerve to keep her here after he made her feel so pathetic.

"Somewhere you aren't. Good bye Derek." Callie snapped at him and ran away from him.

She wiped the tears before they could fall and charged through the trees.  
Callie slammed her car door and sped off to the only place she could think of - Stiles's house.

When Callie got to the front door she met the sheriff on his way out.

"Oh Callie! Haven't seen you in a while." he greeted her.

"Yeah been kinda busy at work." she lied.

"I'm just heading off to Stiles's meeting thing. Do I need to sit in on your's too?"

Callie smiled at his protectiveness. He knew exactly what her home life was like and just like Scott's mom, he had become her surrogate father.

"No need. I have all straight A's. Don't worry about it though. My parents have never gone to one and their not about to start now."

He nodded and went over to his car.

"I like the red by the way. Makes your skin look nicer." he called back to her.

She smirked at his compliment. It was clear him and Stiles needed a woman presence in the house again.  
Callie slipped in through the open door and climbed up the stairs to Stiles's room.  
Without knocking she entered the cluttered space. Stiles's was pacing around angrily.

"Scott I swear to God if you don't call me back I am going to kill you. Jackson literally looks like he has a time bomb inserted in his face.  
Lydia is freaking out of her mind. I just... I need to show you something in person. Call back or I will kill you. I don't know how yet but I will.  
Where are you? Call me. Ugh!"

Callie hovered in the doorway awkwardly. She coughed loudly to announce her presence.

"Hey I was just about to call you! Guess your psychic-ness really comes in handy."

Callie exhaled and flopped onto his bed. Stiles frowned and put his elbows on his knees, leaning in.

"What happened?"

"Derek went to school to ask Jackson what he saw. Scared him out of his mind. I even felt bad for Jackson.  
It made me really mad so I went to Derek's house. We fought. He pretty much told me that I'm useless and can't do anything."

"You fought? Wow first time huh."

"Yeah well put it in the history books." Callie groaned and covered her face with a pillow.

"Ok well onto some serious stuff. Look at this."

Callie removed the pillow and reached her hand to Stiles's. He placed a phone in her hand.

"Isn't this Lydia's phone?"

"Yeah." Stiles said looking off into the corner of the ceiling.

"Did you steal this? Stiles what if someone calls her?"

"I'll give it back tomorrow ok. Just look at what I found on it!"

Callie pressed the menu button and the screen lit up. She nearly dropped the phone as a loud gasp tore out from her lips.  
On the screen was a picture of the movie store the night her and Jackson were attacked.  
Towards the side was a large black figure that was clearly a werewolf. It's red eyes seared into Callie's.  
This was what the alpha looked like. What scared Callie the most was that it looked just like her painting.

She looked at Stiles with wide eyes. He was covering his mouth and looking at her intently.

"This is..."

"The alpha. Yeah."

"So it really is him... killing people." she whispered.

"I've been looking at my dad's case details about all of the murders. So far nothing shows that their connected.  
Why is the alpha killing random people?"

Callie thought back to her painting. There was something in it that she was forgetting. The day she painted it, she knew it was trying to tell her something more than just the alpha was here. Suddenly it hit her.

"Stiles get up. Let me use your computer."

They switched places and Callie flipped up the laptop screen. Her fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Lycan symbols? What does this have to do with random people being murdered?"

"I had a sort of vision. A while ago I painted the alpha carving a spiral into a tree. It meant something."

Callie scoured over dozen of sites. All of them gave her vague information and kept pointing her towards books.  
She searched up the most popular one. Clicking on a link she found that it was currently at the Pagan bookstore she had seen before.

"What's that? An address?" Stiles peered over her shoulder.

"Mhmm. I've seen this book store come up a lot on my searches. Couldn't hurt to give this place a try."

"Seems shady."

"Everything seems shady to you Stiles." she joked.

His phone started to ring and Stiles fumbled to get it out of his pocket. His face dropped when he saw it wasn't from Scott.

"Hello? Is he ok? All right. I'll be there. Thanks."

He hung up and grabbed his car keys. Callie followed him out the door and tugged on his sleeve.

"Where are you going?"

"Dad got hurt at school. A car side swipped him. I gotta go pick him up from the hospital."

"Stiles let me drive. You're all over the place right now. Plus I can just go home afterwards."

He looked like he was about to protest but gave him. They climbed in her car and drove towards the city hospital.

Stiles walked up to the front desk to ask where his dad was. Callie hovered behind him, picking at her jacket sleeve anxiously.  
It was too bright in hospitals. And too white. This much white was never good.

"He's over there. The nurse says he has a few more forms to sign and then we can take him home."

Stiles's voice broke through her frantic thoughts. The two of them went down a hallway and made a left into a small examination room.

"I told them it was nothing. Just a tap. But they made me come here anyways." the sheriff muttered to the doctor.

"It's not just a tap. You're going to need to stay off the knee that was hit for about two and a half weeks. I'll send a note over to the department."

Sheriff Stilinski groaned. The last thing he wanted to be was stuck behind a desk doing paper work when he should be out keeping the city safe.

"Hey Dad." Stiles waved from the doorway.

"Oh good I can finally go home!"

"One last thing Mr. Stilinski. Take this prescription for some pain medication. Follow the instructions."

"Great thanks Doc." He stood up and shook the doctor's hand.

Callie smiled at him and gave him her arm as he limped over to them.

"You want a wheel chair Dad? That limp looks pretty bad." Stiles said walking next to him.

"I'm fine. I just need to sleep it off."

"Glad to see that you're not following the doctor's orders. Means you're perfectly healthy." Callie joke.

"See someone knows me." the sheriff smiled and all three of them passed through the hospital doors.

Callie navigated through the dimly lit streets back to the Stilinski residence.  
She was relieved to see that the sheriff wasn't to badly hurt and in his usual spirits.

"So what caused all of the panic at school?" Stiles asked.

"There was a mountain lion in the parking lot. People got scared off course. A lot of running around and screaming.  
Probably freaked out the animal even more."

"Wait. There was seriously a mountain lion?" Callie glanced at him in the passenger seat.

"Yup. I was a little surprised myself. With all these reports about mountain lion attacks it was about time one finally shows up."

"What was it doing there?" Stiles pulled himself between them to get closer.

"I don't know Stiles. Maybe it was lost or something. The main attraction of the night was when Chris Argent shot the thing.  
Man he's really good with a gun. Too good if you ask me."

Callie bit her lip. There was something not right about this. Mountain lions were just the scape goat for recent murders but she knew that wasn't true.  
Why would one show up now? Especially around so many people. Mountain lions were solitary creatures and they only hunted lone prey.

"Well thanks for the ride Callie. Drive safe you hear?" Sheriff Stilinski patted her on the shoulder.

"No problem. Have a good night." She was obviously distracted.

"If you find anything out call me." she whispered to Stiles.

He nodded and helped his dad into the house. When the door closed Callie started to drive back home.

As soon as she stepped foot in her room her phone went off. She looked down at it to see Derek's name on the screen.  
Just seeing his name brought back the emotions from their fight earlier. She had been distracted from them for a while but now they were bubbling up.  
She pressed the ignore button and kicked off her shoes. Her phone rang again. She ignored it again. This happened three more times before she gave in and answered. Callie walked over to her window to see Derek sitting in his Camaro across the street.

"We need to talk." he started.

"No we don't."

"Callie I'm sorry about what I said-"

"Derek I don't want to talk to you right now. I'm mad and hurt beyond words. If I talk to you now I'll say something I'll regret.  
I don't exactly have the best hold on my emotions anymore. So I'm actually trying to save you before I somehow turn this into a bigger mess."

He was quiet for a few moments. "I'm only trying to protect you. You know that right?"

"Yeah. But I don't always need it. Derek I'm tired and a lot of stuff just sort of fell into my lap. I just want to sleep."

"Ok. Fine."

Derek hung up quickly and drove back to his house. Callie watched at his headlights disappeared into the distance.  
He didn't sound very happy with her answers. But she was too exhausted to care. There other things that were taking up more space in her mind.  
Like figuring out what a spiral could possibly mean as a symbol. Maybe if she could find that out it would bring them one step closer to  
learning about the alpha and why he was killing now.

"Scott you can't keep going all wolf during practice. It makes me look bad!" Stiles complained.

"Dude I can't help it. Maybe if you practiced with me all summer you wouldn't suck as much."

Callie hid her face in her locker as she silently laughed at the two boys bickering.

"What is Derek even teaching you? Aren't you supposed to be learning to control your wolfiness?"

"He hasn't really gone over that stuff. The full moon isn't for a while so it's not important." Scott replied sounding like it was more of a question.

"So what are you doing?" Callie closed her locker slightly so she could see him.

"He doesn't tell you?"

"Do you tell Allison what I teach you when I tutor you?" she shot.

"Their fighting Scott. So Derek is in the dog house." Stiles held up his hand for a high five.

Callie glared at him for making such a stupid joke.

"What? I thought it was pretty good." he shrugged.

"He makes me run for miles and climb trees and do a million push up with rocks on my back." Scott changed the subject.

"Sounds like werewolf boot camp." Callie said.

"Yeah I feel like it's pointless. Coach pretty much makes us do the same thing." His voice trailed off.

Both Scott's and Stiles's eye were plastered on something behind her. She turned around to find Jackson standing there.  
A sheepish expression on his face as he rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Hey Callie..."

"Hi Jackson. How are you feeling?"

"A little better. I... I just wanted to say good morning... I'll go now."

"See you at lunch." She waved at him as he walked away.

"What the hell was that?" Scott demanded.

Stiles stood next to her his mouth wide open in shock.

"I don't know! The other day I ran into Jackson by accident. He kind of exploded on me. I just gave him some advice.  
Told him he could talk to me if he needed it. I guess he really took it to heart."

Scott just glared at Callie.

"Hey this could be good for you! I could end up finding some dirt on Jackson and that'll be something you could use in the little rivalry you got going on with him."

"We don't have a rivalry."

"Ha! Yeah sure. Even a blind guy can tell you two are after each other." Callie pushed herself off the lockers.

"Look go to class. I don't want to be late for art."

With that the bell for third period to start went off and the three friends parted.  
Callie hadn't even sat in her chair when her phone vibrated.

"Ready to talk?"

"Can't. Falling behind on a project. Wait a little longer."

"You say that a lot."

"What?"

"Wait."

"Sorry. But I need to finish this up. Please just wait."

Callie sighed and looked out the window instantly finding Derek by a tree. He looked emotionless as ever.  
It was true though. Mr. Finch had assigned the class to paint or sculpt a piece of work that represented one of their fondest memories.  
She had all week to do it but it was already Wednesday and she still didn't have an idea of what to paint.  
There weren't any really amazing memories from her childhood and fighting with Derek wasn't exactly helping her pick a recent memory either.

"Having trouble Callie?" her teacher's voice came from her right.

"I can't really get into this project. Sorry Mr. Finch." she sighed.

"You're just thinking about it too much. Go for a walk. Get some inspiration."

"Really? Oh ok. I'll be back soon."

"No need to rush. Take as long as you need. But still finish the project." He added.

Callie hoped out of her seat and left the room. She walked over to the gate she used to meet Derek at before they ever got so close.  
He was there and she hesitated for a moment. It was like he knew to meet her there without her even telling him.

"How did you...?"

"I just felt like going over here." he said quietly. "Why are you mad at me for scaring Jackson?"

"I'm not mad at you for that. I'm mad at you for what you said to me."

"Callie I told you I'm trying to-"

"Protect me. Yeah I get it. But that doesn't mean I have to pretend nothing is happening. I can help Derek.  
You and Scott are out there risking your lives and I'm not going to sit around and watch."

"You're right. I don't know why but I thought you were going to try and do something stupid."

Callie smirked and stepped closer to him. She looked into his eyes trying to guess what shade of blue they were exactly.

"That's Scott and Stiles. Don't get me confused with them."

He tugged on her hand and pulled her into a hug. Their arms looped around each other through the bars.  
It wasn't much of an apology but it was at least the start of one. Callie had missed this. Feeling his arms around her.  
Hearing his heat beat deep in his chest.

"I got to get back to class."

Derek didn't want to let go of her but he let her pull away. He wasn't any good at this sort of thing. Apologizing and trying to make amends.  
She seemed less mad at him and at least she didn't run away when he hugged her. Secretly he was disappointed that she didn't ask if she would see him tonight. But then again maybe they weren't back to that just yet. Either way he would wait for her to tell him.

Callie walked back into class feeling better than she had been in the last few days. There were a few minutes till the class was over.  
The other students were already cleaning up their areas and putting back paints.

"Did you find the inspiration you needed?" Mr. Finch asked her.

"Yup. I'm not ready to commit to it just yet though. I'll get it going tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan."

Callie went over to her usual corner and closed down her easel. She sighed at the sight of the blank white canvas.  
It should be covered with colors or at least the beginning outlines of something. There was a lot riding on this project.  
Not only would it be for a grade but Callie hoped it would bring her and Derek closer and finally end this fight.

After school Callie had made the decision to find the mysterious bookstore. It seemed like the only place that would lead her to any information.  
Callie carefully typed in the address she had written down nights before into her phone navigation.  
The bookstore was in the next town over and it wasn't to far. Callie drove on the outskirts of town, the city on one side and the forest on the other.  
Just when she was starting to believe that the navigation was trying to get her lost she came up to a turn off.  
It took her up a tiny dirt road. Then ahead of her sat a large building covered in vines and ivy.  
A sign near the door way read, "Wycca: Book Store and Witchcraft Shop".

Callie stepped into the building and was instantly amazed. There were shelves upon shelves of books.  
Some were leather bound and others looked more modern. Gothic chandeliers light the room and there were candles on black iron holders throughout the aisles. She wandered toward the front desk, still in awe of the decor and space.

"Can I help you dear?" a small old woman asked her from behind the counter.

A black cat sat next to her, licking its paw to clean its face. The woman looked just like a woodland witch.  
Pale skin, frizzy white hair pulled into a long braid, talon like fingernails, and cloudy green eyes.

"I was wondering if you had this book here." Callie gave her a scrap of paper where she wrote down the name of the book.

"Oh yes! That'll be right over here in the lycan section." The woman took Callie's hand and dragged her to a part of the store.

"Ah, there it is. Giddeon's Anthropology of the Lycan Race."

Somehow the tiny woman managed to pull off the large book from the shelf and drop it into Callie's hands.  
Callie staggered, nearly falling over from the sheer weight of the old book. The old witch grabbed her arm and whirled her around into an armchair.  
Callie fell into the seat and a puff of dust rose up around her. This place must've not seen that many customers in a while.

"Anything else you need dear? A cup of tea? Some more light?"

"No I'm fine thank you very much." Callie said out of breath.

"May I ask you why you were looking for this book in particular?"

"I'm writing a story about werewolves. I want it to be really authentic. The internet suggested this book to me."

"Well that book definitely has all the information about werewolves you would ever want. It doesn't go into detail about a lot of things.  
It's more of a guide book that generalizes things. I'll bring other books for you to look at."

Before Callie could say anything the woman zipped away down a row of books. It took her a moment to take in everything that just happened.  
The black cat from the counter sauntered over to Callie and rubbed up against her legs. It jumped up onto the chair and wrapped itself around her shoulders purring contently. Callie had never had any pets so she didn't know what to do. She was actually surprised the cat wanted to be near her.  
Shouldn't she smell like dog or werewolf from being around Derek and Scott? Maybe things didn't work that way.

As Callie skimmed over the chapters leading up to the one about lycan symbols the old woman continuously brought her books.  
Turning a final page Callie came to the one she had been waiting to read.

"Lycan Symbols and Their Meanings." the large script said at the top of the page.

"Symbols can represent a number of things." Callie mumbled out loud. "Many families adopt their own in order to mark their territory.  
Mates often time mark their partners to symbolize their bonds through scarring. However there are a few universal symbols in the lycan world."

Callie tried to skim over the flowery sentences. This book sounded like it had been written in Shakespeare's time. She didn't have time to translate ye olde English into something she could better understand.

"Clover for spring. Maple leaf for autumn. The sun for summer. Wow that's creative. Mountain for winter. Odd.  
Crossing rings for love. That's romantic. Blah blah blah. Vertical lines for family members. Blah blah blah. Lightning for enemies.  
Spirals for revenge."

Callie had to re-read that last sentence.  
_Spirals for revenge._

The alpha was killing for revenge. So far the only ones who had been killed were Laura Hale, the old bus driver, and a movie store worker.  
And then Jackson and Lydia had been attacked. Nothing seemed to connect any of these people together.  
Callie rubbed her temples in annoyance. She had taken a huge step forward only to have to take another one back.

Her phone rang out loudly interrupting her thoughts and the cat's nap.

"Derek?"

"Come home now."

He hung up on her without saying anything else. Callie was instantly worried. This wasn't Derek's normal rudeness.  
His voice had wavered ever so slightly. Like he was on the verge of crying. Callie didn't even think he was capable of crying.  
She got up quickly and grabbed the stack of books the woman had gathered for her. As she ran up to the counter the witch was peering into a  
crystal ball intently.

"Thank you so much for the books. How much will all of this be?"

"Don't worry about it dear. I can tell you will be back here a lot. There your's to keep. But if you find you don't want them just trade them for something else."

"No I couldn't." Callie protested.

"Please dear take them. Trust me."

The old woman gave her a knowing look, her eyes flashing with magic. Callie nodded her thanks and rushed out to her car.  
The books jostled in her arms uncomfortably. She groaned at how heavy they were even though there were only five of them.  
Callie balanced them on her thigh as she opened the trunk. The books spilled into the space and Callie slammed down the door.  
She jumped into the driver seat, twisting the keys in the ignition. Her heart raced as worry for Derek ran through her being.  
She had this feeling that he needed her this time, not just him trying to watch out for her.

The sun was already setting as Callie drove out of the town. It would be dark when she finally got home.  
She hoped that it wouldn't be too late.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN~: Hello again! I think this story is up to 50 follows and around 30 favorites. Wow thanks for all the love! So sorry for the long wait!**  
**Be prepared for slower updates. Things are getting busy for me and I'm finding it harder to have time to write and even finding energy to write. So just hang in there! Here's what you've been waiting for - Chapter 8!**

* * *

Derek pulled himself up so that his chin touched just above the door way. He could feel each of the powerful muscles in his arms and shoulders  
working. Even though his body was hot with exercise, a cool breeze flowing through the house kept him comfortable.  
The next part of Scott's training would require physical combat. So far Scott had been doing well with the basic endurance training.  
But Derek couldn't keep going easy on him. If Scott was going to fight the alpha as they had planned he was going to need to get stronger.  
The only way for Scott to get stronger was for Derek to make himself stronger as well.  
So after visiting Callie, he would work out extensively. This way he would be ready to go for when Scott came in the evenings.

Derek swiftly dropped to the floor, growing tired of pull ups, and began to do some push ups. His mind was just as busy as his body.  
Seeing Callie today hadn't gone exactly as planned. But she wasn't totally mad at him which was good in his book.  
He'd find a better way to apologize. Maybe they'd go on a cheesy date like in the movies. Those seemed to work.  
Why did Callie get mad at him for trying to protect her anyways? She wanted to help and not stay out of the action.  
Sure she had psychic powers but were they enough to hold back a blood thirsty alpha?  
If he was training Scott to fight there wasn't any reason he couldn't train her. He started to wonder if Callie had ever gotten into a fight before.  
Derek switched to one handed push ups and mulled the thought over. She kept to herself but she did have a biting wit.  
Would she ever call some girl out and fight her? Callie looked the part but he knew she wasn't the type.  
Derek smiled to himself, imagining Callie trying to fight him. He figured she would be a dirty fighter, aiming for below the belt.

A sound and a scent broke into his thoughts. He stopped mid push up and cocked his head to the side.  
Three pairs of footsteps were coming closer. Their voices almost audible. Not wanting to risk it, Derek hid himself deep in the house.  
A few more moments of waiting let him figure out exactly who was trespassing on his property.

"We shouldn't be here. There's a code to follow Kate."

Kate rolled her eyes at the statement and kept walking towards the Hale house. Ever since she had arrived in Beacon Hills it was like a nonstop  
lecture on the hunter's code and why it needed to be followed. No one had any fun around here obviously.

"So I've been reminded of several times." She replied half heartedly to her counterpart.

She had wanted to go alone but her over watchful brother made two of his hunter lackeys follow her. They were just a pair of idiots with guns to her.

"Look. He didn't kill anyone so we can't kill him." the same guy warned her again.

Kate put her hand on her weapon holster and marched up to the base of the house. She looked up at its burnt exterior and wondered where Derek would be hiding.

"Doesn't mean we can't say hello?" she tilted her head to the side and eyed the man.

The other younger guy walked up the small steps and hovered at the front door. Kate laughed to herself at their cautious attitudes.  
No one was definitely having any fun here. She simply pushed the door open, the lock being broken for ages.  
The house was silent. Nothing moving. No signs of the usual inhabitant.

"No ones here. Let's go."

"Oh he's here. Just not up to his usual hospitality." Kate surveyed the entrance and other door ways.

"Maybe he's out burying a bone in the back yard." The younger hunter joked as he poked his gun into a dark hallway.

"Really? A dog joke? That's the best you can come up with." she scoffed.

The three hunters stood in the front of the house just waiting for something to happen.

"If you really want to get him mad you gotta say something with a little more edge. Like this.  
Too bad your sister bit it before she had her first litter!"

Kate's shout seemed to echo off of the old walls of the house. But still everything was just as dormant.  
The younger man snickered only to be silenced by the older man.

"You know she howled like a bitch when we cut her in half!"

A deadly snarl sounded from behind them. That was the reaction Kate had been looking for.  
In an instant the young guy was taken out like he was nothing. Derek easily lifted him by his throat and tossed him out the front door.  
He glared at the remaining two not holding back the angry growls the burned in his chest.  
There was unmistakable fear in the older hunter's eyes. Derek leapt across the stair banisters and swung his legs out.  
Using the door way for leverage he hit his mark right in the man's chest. The man was sent flying into the wall.  
His body landed with a loud thud and he didn't move to get up. This just left him and Kate.  
She shook her head lightly and then flicked out the weapon she had been carrying. It looked like a small rod, nothing special.  
Until she flipped on a switch and the weapon whirred to life. Electricity pulsed around it.  
Derek couldn't contain his pure hate for the woman in front of him and he charged at her.

Suddenly his entire body felt like it was on fire. An electric current coursed through him from each limb.  
His body failed him and he collapsed to the floor convulsing. For a second his vision started to black out form the sheer amount of voltage.  
He could hear Kate laughing loudly and felt her boot stab into his ribs. Derek desperately clawed at the ground, trying to find anything to help him up.  
The couch was the first thing in reach. His muscles were suddenly weak from the shock, unable to do much.  
He couldn't shift either which didn't help at all. Just as he got to his knees another tap from her electric rod sent him convulsing to the floor again.  
This wasn't looking good. Had she really come here to kill him once and for all?

Derek meekly sat himself up in a corner. His eyes were beginning to regain focus and his shoulders heaved with each breath.  
Kate followed his sad trail and stood in front of him, hand on her hip.

"Five hundred thousand volts. Ain't she a beauty?" she chuckled.

Derek hated every moment he had to hear her. He wanted nothing more than to tear his claws into her and rip her apart.  
But he couldn't even lift an arm to save himself. He sat in utter disgust as she got even closer to him.

"You were never good with electricity, were you? Or fire." she added to get at him.  
"Which is why I'm going to let you in on a little secret. And maybe we can help each other out."

Derek stayed silent. He was not going to give in to her games. She was just trying to provoke him so she could have an excuse when she went back to the hunter's saying why there was a dead werewolf at the Hale house.

"Yes, your sister was severed into pieces and used as bait to try and catch you. Unpleasant and frankly a little to Texas Chainsaw Massacre for my tastes. But still quite true."

She was standing right above him now. A stupid smirk spread across her lips. Derek didn't like the glint in her eyes.  
What the hell was she trying to tell him?

"Now here's the part that's really going to kick you in the balls." She kneeled down to his level. "We didn't kill her."

Derek felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Kate had to of been blind if she didn't see the distress that fully took over his features.  
His sister had been torn apart and left scattered out in the forest for him to find. He hadn't doubted for a second that it was the hunters doing.  
The Argents had been chasing him ever since he left Beacon Hills. They followed him up and down the east coast and back here.  
There was no way they didn't kill his sister. They wouldn't let the opportunity pass.

"Oh you think I'm lying?" Kate cooed.

"Wouldn't be the first time." he spat at her with all of the venom in him.

"Sweetie." she acted like she felt bad for him. "Listen to my heart and tell me if I'm lying."

Kate leaned in and whispered into his ear, "We. Didn't. Kill. Your. Sister."

Each word made Derek feel like a piece of his world was shattering. All he could do was sit and stare at the walls in front of him.

"You hear that? No blips or upticks. Just the steady beat of cold hard truth."

She stood up and looked around the room. Derek didn't move and she was secretly disappointed. Guess the fun was ending.

"Found bite marks on your sister's body. Who do you think did that? A mountain lion?"

The effects of being electrocuted by such high voltage were still lingering in Derek. Keeping him from doing anything he wanted.  
He had literally backed himself into a corner. And he desperately needed to get out before Kate could do something.

"Why aren't we helping each other out? Might as well admit what you've been guessing all along.  
The alpha killed your sister. All you need to do is tell us who he is and we'll take care of him for you. Problem solved, everybody goes home happy."

Kate saw his icy glare suddenly soften. His blue eyes dropped to the floor as if he was searching for an answer there. It hit her.

"Unless you don't know who he is either. Great. Well guess who became totally useless." she scoffed.

Derek pushed his body into over drive and bolted from his spot. Just in time as Kate unloaded an entire clip from the gun she had been concealing in her jacket. The sounds of the bullets dropping slowly grew quieter as he distanced himself from the house.  
That was too close. His heart was beating faster than he could count and his head was fighting off a hurricane of things.  
He hadn't dealt with his sister's death. He had buried her but he had never left anytime to grieve.  
The realization of who was her killer only made everything worse.

Only pausing for a moment, Derek let his feet carry him. The forest passed by in a blur.  
He didn't know he was running and he didn't know where he was going. The trees parted and Derek ended up on Callie's street.  
He snuck over to her house and pressed his back against the wall. His eyes closed and he caught his breath.  
Callie's car wasn't in the drive way. She wasn't home but that wouldn't stop him from going inside.  
Quickly, he pulled himself up onto the fence that surround her house. Then he hopped onto the small over hang on the front of the house.  
Derek silently cursed when the window didn't open. Luckily Callie's room had two windows and one of them was always unlocked.  
Holding on by just his fingertips, Derek edged his way to the other side of Callie's room. The window opened and he threw himself in.

He stood still, listening for any signs of her parents being home. No sounds coming from a tv or voices from down the stairs.  
Derek relaxed and the gravity of the emotions he had felt earlier crashed down on him. His fists clenched tight and he fought the urge to punch a hole in her walls. Whipping out his phone he dialed her number without thinking. It rang a couple times before Callie's voice sounded from the other end.

"Derek?" She had no idea what was going on.

"Come home now."

That was all he managed to say. He ended the call and threw his phone at the ground. Somehow it wasn't obliterated to pieces.  
Derek paced the room angrily. He ran his hands over his face thinking over everything. The sunset blazed through Callie's window.  
Where was she this late? She needed to be there. He needed her to be there.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

Callie pulled up into her drive way and shut off the engine. She raced up to her front door fumbling to get the key into the lock.  
Unlocking the door wouldn't be a problem because her mom suddenly yanked it open. Her face was furious and she was shouting a stream of  
profanity at her husband. Callie stood frozen and wide eyed in the door way. It had been some time since her parents had one of their  
episodes. Callie's mom roughly shouldered her way past the girl and disappeared. Her dad was stomping around the kitchen most likely looking  
for a drink. His muttering and glares soared over Callie's head. All that was on her mind was Derek.  
Had he been hurt? What did he find out that could have put him in such a state?

Callie rested her hand on the door to her room for a moment. She took a deep breath and pushed in.  
Derek was sitting on her bed, his bare back facing her. Callie nearly choked at the grim atmosphere in the room.  
He didn't turn to look at her and didn't say a word. Callie set down the stack of books she had received earlier and dropped her bag.  
She climbed onto the bed and walked on her knees till she was up against Derek's back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and  
rested her head next to his.

"What happened?"

Derek's eyes were closed tight and he sighed at her embrace. All he wanted to do was forget and drown himself in Callie.

"Don't hold it in Derek. It only gets worse."

"I don't want to talk about it now." he whispered.

Callie felt every ounce of pain he was going through. Just by the lowness of his voice she knew he was dying inside.

"Yes you do. You may not want to but you need to."

"Laura is dead! She was murdered." His voice rising to a shout.

"Derek calm down." She pulled away slightly, frightened by the shift in his mood.

He broke free from her arms and stood with his arms crossed facing the window.

"It doesn't matter. Your parents left. I heard them leave." he growled at her.

Callie had never lost anyone in her family so there was no way for her to understand what he was going through. She hated not being able to find  
the right words to bring him some type of comfort. Callie realized this was the first time he was letting himself grieve over the death of his sister.  
He had buried her but never allowed himself to feel anything for it. She opened her mouth but was cut off before she could make a sound.

"It wasn't the hunters. Apparently cutting a body in half isn't their style."

"Then who was it?" Callie didn't know what to do other than sit timidly on her bed.

"Who do you think? It was the alpha!"

Having to say it out loud made Derek's anger rise even more to the surface. He had barely just found out where Laura was.  
They were finally going to reunite. She had been the only surviving member of his family that was still normal. His uncle Peter had also survived  
but he had been badly burned and was unresponsive since the fire. Derek had put so much heart into finding her only to meet her dead corpse.

"Derek I'm sorry-"

"That's all I ever heard! I'm sorry for your family. I'm sorry for your house. I'm sorry. It doesn't mean anything! Sorry won't bring them back!"

He had turned around to face her. His eyes were blazing blue fire. Every muscle in his form tense with trying to hold back the storm that raged within him. Callie's frightened face was so close to his. He hadn't realized how loud he was yelling or how terrifying he looked.

"I should of never came back here! This place is Hell for me. If I never came back then I wouldn't have found out about Laura.  
She would have just disappeared like I was trying to do. And then I wouldn't have to deal with the alpha. Or have to deal with Scott and Stiles  
making me look like a goddamn murderer. No one would look at me like I'm a psycho. And I wouldn't have to worry about you falling and getting hurt or worse!"

His shoulders heaved with heavy breaths. Callie bit her lip as she returned a worried gaze to his glare.  
She stood up slowly and stepped towards him. Callie slid her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her neck.  
He flinched in surprise at the gentle gesture. She brought her hand up to softly stroke his hair and closed her eyes fighting back the tears.

"Derek you're hurting. So do whatever you need. Yell. Scream. Punch a hole in the wall. I don't care. I'll make it better just tell me what you need."

Her voice was so quiet. Derek froze where he was. The sound of her heart beat filled his ears. She was afraid. Afraid of him?  
He had practically went full wolf on her without even shifting. Why wasn't she pushing him away? Why wasn't she running like everyone else?

Derek used his strength to push them back onto the bed. He laid Callie down on her back and he rolled over next to her.  
His face still buried in her neck, surrounded by the sweet scent of her hair. Callie cradled his head in her arm and rubbed his arm with her other hand.  
Their legs tangled with each other and his arm held her to him with desperation. Callie felt the scruff of his chin against her skin as he got closer to her.

They stayed like that until the room around them became dark. Callie waited patiently for him, hoping this was bringing him some solace.  
Derek had never mourned for anyone in his family. She could see through the mask he put on easily. As he had poured out his hidden feelings  
flashes of the memories she had accidentally seen crept into her mind. Derek had tried hard to suppress them so he would never have to see them again. The agony of losing all that he had loved was too much for one person to handle. After the fire he had been on his own so he locked away everything as a way to deal with the pain. This was a different side of him that she hadn't seen before. The side of Derek he thought was weak.

Derek began to wonder if Callie had fallen asleep after being to motionless for hours. The constant tracing of her fingers against the back of his neck told him other wise. At last he lifted his heavy head from the crook of her neck. She flipped onto her side so they could be face to face, a small smile upon her looked beautifully pale under the moonlight. Her red hair was an iridescent crown around her. Callie kissed his forehead lightly.  
The warmth brought him back to reality in a flash. Somehow she had known exactly what to do and say to keep him from bursting with rage.  
She didn't look at him with anything but love. And that made him feel whole.

"Hey." she murmured.

"Hey." he said back. It was amazing how she could just say one word and it made all the difference.

"You smell funky."

"I ran here."

"Figures. But you smell like dirt too. Were you rolling on the floor?"

"Kind of. I'll tell you later." his voice trailed off.

"Are you all right Derek?"

"Yeah. Fine. My whole family is dead so I can deal with it."

"Don't say that. You still have your uncle."

Callie frowned and poked at Derek's cheek so one side of his mouth was in a smile. He took her hand and kissed it before kissing her lips.  
Derek slid his arm under her and lifted her onto him. Callie put her legs on either side of his hips and rested her hands on his chest.  
He cupped her cheeks and brought her face down to his so their lips could meet.

Their fight and awkward apology faded away from Callie's mind. Just from a single kiss she could tell that whatever they had between them was  
so much stronger than anything else. Nothing would tear them apart. They didn't need a painting or apologetic gifts or gestures to bring them closer.  
All they truly needed was to be with each other.

"You're not alone Derek. You have me and even Scott and Stiles. Whether they like it or not."

"I know."

"You better." she teased him.

The smile on her face and the light in her eyes brought happiness to his heart. She made everything worth it.  
The fact that she was always so optimistic complemented his usual seriousness. The way she saw things made him have to rethink situations he would have dismissed as pointless. Callie was changing him for the better. And her even being able to do that was a feat in its own.  
Derek knew there was something special about her the moment he had laid eyes on her. They were connected by some string of fate.

"I'm gonna go shower. You should too. I have school tomorrow."

As she got up to leave her pulled her back down by her wrists.

"Don't go to school. I kind of need a place to lay low again. Stay with me."

The look in his blue eyes tugged at Callie's heart. There was no way she could leave him.

"Ok I'll stay with you." she whispered.

Derek let go of her and she disappeared into the bathroom with her pajamas in hand. Callie quickly washed her body and put on her favorite scented loiton. Then she slipped into a pair of striped boyshorts and a baggy band tshirt. When she came out from behind the door she threw a fresh towel at Derek.

"You shower too. If you're gonna stay here you might as well not smell like a dog."

Derek got up and shouldered his way past her into the small bathroom. He paused in the doorway.

"We should have went together then."

Callie closed the door on him. She nearly died from that comment. Her thoughts went back to the day she had spent the night at Allison's.

_"You have a man-friend Callie. You can't tell me you and Derek haven't..."_ Lydia's high voice echoed in her mind.

Callie blushed and hid her face in her hands. Did Derek expect that from her? She got up to look at her movie collection, pushing the idea away.  
Over thinking wasn't going to help anything. If it ever came to her and Derek being intimate it would just have to happen naturally.  
Just like everything else in their relationship. Nothing was forced and that's what she liked about it. They told each other things when they were ready and always waited for the right time.

Callie pulled out the movie "Drive" and took her laptop from her desk to the bed. If she wasn't going to school tomorrow then she could stay up all she wanted. The sound of the shower cut off just as the movie started. Derek appeared a few minutes later and he leaned against the wall.  
A towel covered his head as he dried the last few drops of water from his hair. He walked to the other side of the bed and sat next to Callie.  
She was laying on her stomach, feet bent towards her shoulders and nearly touching them. She sat up and put the laptop on the middle of the bed.  
Derek lay down and pulled her down with him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her body against his. He put his arm out for her to rest her head on. After Callie readjusted the laptop so they could both see the screen she both of her hands in his. Derek kissed the top of her red hair.  
He was more interested in watching her than the actual movie. Here and there she would laugh at parts she thought were funny and say random comments. More than half way through the little sounds she was making fell silent. Derek peeked over her and saw that she had fallen asleep.  
Not wanting to disturb the peaceful state she was in he watched the rest of the movie. When the ending credits rolled by he closed the laptop on put it on the floor. Callie sleepily groaned as she was barely roused from her dreams. Derek lightly kissed her lips and stroked her hair helping her back to sleep. What was he doing? Being so gentle and open with her was something he had never done in his entire life with anyone.  
Callie had come into his life for a reason even if it wasn't clear. One day he would figure out why she had this control on him and then maybe he'd be able to say just how he felt about her. But for now this was all he needed and he didn't mind.

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

The sun peeked in through the window and Callie's alarm clock started blasting the loudest screamo song she had on her iPod.  
Her hand smashed down on the off button and she groaned in annoyance. She forgot to turn off the alarm the night before.  
A weight pulled her waist back and Callie flipped onto her other shoulder. Derek's eyes were still closed but his brow was furrowed from having been so rudely awakened. He placed his hands on the small of her back and she hid her face in his neck.

"Sorry 'bout that." she mumbled.

The warmth of her breath on his neck made Derek shiver in pleasure. He rested his chin on top of her head and sighed.

"No problem. We don't need to wake up yet right?"

"Mhmmm."

"Good."

Callie listened to Derek's breathing start to slow and she mimicked his steady rhythm with her own.  
In no time at all both of them were back asleep.

An hour later Callie was woken up again. She rolled over onto her stomach and smothered her face in the pillow.  
She could hear her mom's angry voice echoing up to her room.

"What the hell is that girl doing? Her damn car is taking up all the room in the driveway!"

Seconds later there was loud banging on her door.

"Callie what the hell are you still doing here?" her mom yelled into the room.

"I'm not going to school today. I'm gonna stay home with Derek." Callie said half asleep.

It took her a few moments to realize what she had just said. Callie jolted up and her hand came flying down to where Derek lay right next to her.

"Derek? What kind of dreams are you having? Whatever, I don't care what you do. Move your car so I can get out of here.  
If I'm late to work because of you, you are so dead." her mom rolled her eyes and huffed loudly.

Callie looked down at the empty space in her bed. She was alone. No sign of Derek even being there. Callie swiveled her head around the room in confusion. Her mom grew impatient and dragged Callie out of the bed. Callie grabbed her keys and staggered down the stairs.  
The cool air outside jolted her awake as she walked quickly across the frozen ground in bare feet. Her mother tapped her foot and stood with her arms crossed by the open garage. She watched Callie with cold eyes until she parked her car on the street in front of their house.  
Callie trudged through the damp grass as her mom sped off to her job. No good bye or even a sarcastic thank you.

The house was warm compared to outside and Callie rubbed the goosebumps away from her skin. She returned back to her room wondering where Derek was hiding. When she opened the door he was still missing. She looked into the bathroom to find it empty. She opened her closet but didn't see his feet sticking out from the hanging clothes. She walked over to the window and pushed it open. Callie stuck her head out expecting to see him hanging by his fingers on the windowsill. Still no Derek. Something gripped her ankle and Callie let out a surprised scream. She tore her leg away from the hand that jutted out from under her bed. Another one appeared next to it and Derek pulled himself out into the open. Callie stepped on his chest and pouted at him. He wore an amused smirk on his face and chuckled to himself at her girlishness.

"You aren't afraid of having a werewolf for a boyfriend or a best friend but you are afraid of monsters under the bed."

"I watch a lot of movies and yes monsters are scarier than werewolves. Mostly because I know how to get rid of you." Callie replied crossing her legs as she sat down on the bed.

"Oh and how are you going to do that?" Derek taunted her, leaning in closer.

"I bet I could find some silver in here somewhere." She narrowed her purple eyes threateningly.

Derek growled at her and barred his teeth in a menacing smile. Callie jumped at him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held on to her thighs and stumbled backwards a little. They laughed together and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Derek put Callie back down on the bed on her back and he lay on top of her. She pulled at his hair the more they kissed.

"Silver isn't going to work if you fight like that."

"That's what you think. I got some dirty tricks up my sleeve."

"I hope you have some breakfast up your sleeve." his stomach began to growl as if in response.

"Well too bad you probably won't fit any of my dad's shirts otherwise we could've went out to eat." Callie pushed Derek up.

He followed her to the kitchen and sat at the counter. Callie rummaged through the fridge and then the cupboards. As usual there wasn't much in the fridge other than leftovers. She brought out a couple boxes of cereal and bowls.

"Cereal it is." she announced.

Derek reached for the Cheerios and Callie poured herself a bowl of Captain Crunch.

"No bowl?" she raised an eyebrow at him. Derek dug his hand in the box and munched on a handful of the cereal.

"Nope. I don't like milk." he said with a full mouth.

Callie laughed and walked over to the living room. She plopped down on the couch and switched on the tv. Derek lounged next to her, stretching out his legs and resting his elbows on the back of the couch. A news anchor rambled on about the weather for the week and Callie changed the channel to one of music stations. The most popular music video of the week played and Callie hummed along to the song as she ate her cereal.

"What kind of music do you like?" she glanced at Derek.

"Anything. Stuff that's good to work out to."

"Such a guy answer."

"What about you?" he sneered.

"Guess."

"Uh I don't know pop or whatever."

"Very funny. Hmm I guess I like hardcore stuff, metal, alternative rock, and indie stuff is good too. Just not country."

"Why not country?"

"I don't know. Just don't like it." Callie dipped up her bowl to drink the milk. "You done with your cereal?"

Derek shook his head and Callie laughed at him. She went over to the kitchen sink and filled the bowl with water. Then she took Derek's hand and went back up the stairs. As they entered her room, a pair of leggings and a cut up tank top soared through the air and landed on her shoulder.  
Derek blinked at the bright glowing of her eyes and watched her change into a new outfit. He smirked at noticing how her underwear and bra matched. Callie tugged on her tank top so it sat right on her and then ran a brush through her thick red hair. She pushed all of it to one shoulder and then turned to smile at Derek. He had his hands behind his head as he leaned up against the headrest.

"So what are we doing today?"

"Well I do still have that art project due tomorrow. You can sit there and look pretty while I work."

"How long will it take you?"

"As long as it takes." She poked his chest and then cleared off her desk. She moved the stack of books she had gotten from the book store to a corner.

Derek tilted his head not remembering seeing those books before. He took the first one off the top and looked at the cover.

"Where are these from?"

"I went to a weird witch pagan shop yesterday. I got these to help figure out the whole spiral thing and maybe other werewolf things.  
I haven't really read it in depth. I'm not sure there's anything on alphas in any of the books."

Derek opened the book up and scanned over the page. Callie watched as his eyebrows knitted together and his face grew more concentrated.  
She guessed that he was just as interested in finding out about the alpha as she was. Callie scooped up her bag and pulled out the flat canvas she had taken from school. She propped it up on her desk easel and flipped on the small lamp. Opening a drawer, she brought out a case of water colors and pastels. A series of brushes fell onto the desk and Callie went into the bathroom to fill up a cup of water. She sat on her stool and brought her knees to her chest, thoughtfully chewing on the end of a pencil.

Callie had an idea of what she wanted to paint for her most cherished memory. She popped in her ear buds and started to play one of her more acoustic playlists. That would help her get in the mood. Her pencil sketched across the canvas, lightly outlining what her heart was telling her to draw.  
It was going to be of Derek catching her at the ballet studio. The first time they had ever been alone. The first time she had ever performed her own work for someone. And the first time she had realized that Derek would mean something greater to her. To make the memory more interesting in picture form it was going to look like a scene from Beauty and the Beast. Callie figured it fit them since Derek was a werewolf and it would give her an excuse to draw ears, fangs, and a tail on him. Once the basic shapes were lined up Callie pressed her brush into the paint and let it take over.  
Usually when Callie was painting she would lose herself in thought and somehow her hands would know what to do without her.

Her mind wandered back to the spirals. According to the book, spirals meant revenge. And from what her painting of the alpha told her she concluded that he was killing for revenge. But what did that have to do with Derek's sister Laura or a old bus driver or a movie store worker. They were all ordinary people living uneventful lives. Well maybe except Laura who was practically invisible and able to do what she pleased. The Argent family and their hunter friends were most likely looking for the alpha too. But there was no way she would be able to find out because Allison didn't even know Scott was a werewolf and there was no way Callie was about to ask Kate for anything. Everything had been absolutely quiet and boring in Beacon Hills for the past couple years. The only exciting times where when all the dogs in the city freaked out over an earthquake and the Hale house burning.  
Callie thought about how Derek had pretty much left Beacon Hills when tragedy hit his family. Things were very quiet after that. But now that he was back things were more chaotic than ever. Could that mean that these killings could have something to do with him and his family. Derek wasn't the alpha Callie knew that for sure. The alpha had blood red eyes and Derek's were icy blue. The coincidence with the killings beginning with Derek coming back to Beacon Hills was too big to be ignored. Callie eyes darted quickly over to him. He was still reading the book. She'd bring up this revelation later.

Suddenly her ringtone blared through her thoughts and she nearly dropped her brush in surprise. Derek grabbed her phone and tossed it to her.  
Stiles's name flashed on the screen. Callie pressed to answer and brought the phone to her ear.

"Callie where are you?" Stiles practically screamed at her.

"Jesus, now I know how Scott felt when we couldn't reach him." she hissed.

"Answer me woman!"

"Calm down. I'm safe and sound at home. Taking a mental health day." She heard Derek make a sound of amusement.

"Your new best friend Jackson is wondering about you."

"Why? What does he want?"

"I don't know. He kinda followed me around until I told him you weren't here. It was creepy."

"Very. Look Stiles is there something you need? I'm kinda working on a project here."

"Yeah again where were you yesterday? You were supposed to mind meld with Scott so we could see how his emotions go all crazy during practice."

"Oh crap! I'm sorry. I totally spaced on that. I went to that book store, the one I found out about at your place. I got a couple books on werewolves.  
I needed to figure out the whole alpha symbol thing."

"Well did you figure it out?"

"Yeah spirals are for revenge. But I don't see how that connects random killings."

"Spirals are for revenge. Good to know. I'll try to dig through my dad's files and see what he's got."

"Don't get caught. You know he's at his end with us meddling."

"Please Callie. I'm the master of snooping!"

"All right hot shot. Get to class. Tell everybody I'm throwing up my guts if they ask about me."

"Gross but believable. Bye Callie."

"Adios."

Callie hung up her phone and sighed. The call had ruined her mindset. She chewed on the end of her brush examining the work she had done in the past two hours. The painting was well underway. The background was all colored in and Derek was nearly finished. All that was left was for Callie to color in herself, do some extra shading, and then ink in the details.

A shadow fell over her work space. Derek placed the book back on the stack and leaned on her shoulder. Callie rested her head against his chest and he kissed her forehead.

"So this is the big project?"

"Yeah you like it?"

"Pretty cheesey. Really, Beauty and the Beast? How cliche." he teased her.

"You're just jealous of my skills. I know you like it."

"I do like it. This first day I knew I would have to keep an eye on you because you were bound to fall again."

"Oh my knight in shining armor." Callie stuck her tongue out at him.

"What was that thing about spirals you told Stiles?"

Callie had already started painting again. She took in a deep breath. Was now the right time to tell Derek her thoughts on the subject?  
Better now than later she guessed.

"Spirals mean revenge. So the alpha is killing to get back at someone. Any idea who?"

Derek's eyes darkened but he shook his head.

"Me neither. The victims seem pretty random to me. Stiles will have to see what the files say."

"What else do you think?"

Callie froze for a second. How did he know she had more on her mind?

"It's just that... Nothing has happened here until you came back. You don't think that the murders have anything to do with you or your family?"

"I'm not the alpha Callie. You know that." his voice was heavy with the accusation.

"I wasn't saying you were. Just that he might have something to do with you."

"Well my family is dead. And my uncle is comatose. It can't be him."

"Right. Well I was just thinking that's all."

Derek sat back down on her bed and rested his head in his hands. He became very quiet, mulling over what she had brought up.

Callie finished her painting with much satisfaction. Derek's sudden change in mood worried her but she decided that it was just part of his seriousness.

"I should go back home. Scott is going to pretty mad if he misses out on another day of training." he finally said.

"I'll drive you." Callie offered as she finished cleaning her brushes.

Derek nodded and headed out the door. Callie slipped on her shoes and followed him out.  
The drive to Derek's house in the woods was silent, just like the previous hours had been. The conversation about the alpha and his possible connection to Derek or his family had a strange effect on Derek. Callie didn't want to dig deeper into it since he had just gone through an upsetting  
experience with his sister's death earlier. The side road to the house appeared in front of them and Callie slowed the car.

"You'll be ok?" Callie asked as Derek hopped out.

"It's just Scott. He's only a pup."

"You know what I mean."

"I'll be fine Callie. Stop worrying about me. I'm the one who does the protecting."

"Ok. I can't help it. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Derek said as he backed away from the car.

"Love you!" Callie called to him.

He waved her good bye and started to sprint towards the house. As the trees began to clear out and his home came into view, thoughts swirled in his mind. Why would anyone have a vendetta in Beacon Hills other than his family?  
Was it really a possibility that the alpha was avenging the deaths in the Hale fire?  
And if that was the case, who was the alpha? Why did he kill Laura to get his attention?


End file.
